


Fishing Village AU

by donocho



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Gen, This story is focused on the kids but the parents are equally as important., Will add more tags as the next scene is added.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:39:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23103346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donocho/pseuds/donocho
Summary: Little Dimitri and his dad moved into a little fishing village by the sea-side, eager to start life fresh and anew. There, Little Dimitri meets unexpected new friends and an old classmate of his.(This is a log of a personal AU, will update the tags as the story goes on. The story is open-ended.)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Scene 1

**Author's Note:**

> \---  
> NOTE:  
> Each scene may or may not be connected.  
> Imagine them as particular sequences in a movie, or an episode in a TV series.
> 
> It is a transcript from a chat log, used for future references. There are spelling errors.  
> \----  
> That being said, enjoy!

Deep blue skies,  
bright sunshine that lights the rows of multicolored houses, sitting by the pierside with boats parked in the clear blue sea.

At the distance, a tall rocky outcrop with mountain ranges that don't seem to end.

And through all these houses, they're connected by a straight road.

It's the type of fishing village where if you're driving down the straight road,  
you can pass them by within 5 seconds.

Very insignificant, little village.

It was early in the cold morning, where the sun has just risen and the sky just turned a light blue shade, with the shadows that the houses cast on the road, a deep blue color.

Little Dimitri stood outside his new home by the seaside, taking a deep breath of the fresh seaside air.

Far away from his old home, far away from his old life.  
He stretched a little, then went back into the living room.

Whole place was a mess, with half-opened boxes everywhere.

His dad was still busy unpacking, and little Dimitri wanted to help as well, bringing his toys upstairs to his room.

Then, the doorbell rang.

"Dimitri, can you help me--"

"Right I'll go get it!"  
He ran down the stairs, and opened the door.

Two people, this scrawny old-looking guy with an old cap and a mustache that covers his mouth,  
and a young blonde girl with funny straight bangs.

Old guy introduced himself,  
"Oh! I, uh, I noticed you guys moving in and well,"  
He huffed his scrawny chest and rolled up his sleeves to show his scrawny arms,  
"Ingrid and I are here to help ya."

Dimitri saw his dad turn his head around,  
"Neighbours?"

"Yep, right next door. Anything we can do to help?"

"Yeah,"  
He heaved as he lifted a box up, supporting it with his thighs,  
"There's a few things over here…"

Dimitri directed the young girl to pickup a few of his books that he brought over from his old home, whereas Dimitri himself helped to another box full of his clothes.

As the walked up the creaky wooden steps, he introduced himself,

"Hi, I'm uh, I'm Dimitri! What's your name?"

She turned to him with a smile, although her face is strained,  
"Oh, it's Ingrid Galatea. Your books--how many did you pack? It's so heavy!"

"Ahh..."  
He was a bit shy,  
"I like to read. A lot."

"Huh, that's cool. I don't really know many that likes to read."

They reached the top and both headed down the small corridor, to Dimitri's room.

Small, at the rooftop, with a window that overlooks the sea.  
Sun is starting to rise, so the surface of the sea starts to get all glittery and bright.

His bed is by the window side as well,  
Ingrid noted.

"Uh, where I leave the box?"

"Oh just leave it on the floor! I'll pack it later on."

"Right."

She set the box down, with a heavy thud. And then she heaved a sigh of relief, stretching her back a bit.

"Uh...by the way Ingrid, what's your hobby?"

"Huh? Oh I usually help my dad out at the fishery, but I like reading as well."

She awkwardly scratched her head,  
"Not too often though..."

"What! So which books do you like?"  
Little Dimitri got excited there.

Ingrid was surprised, but she started talking, telling him about the fantasy books she enjoyed reading.  
Kinda embarrassing ones, like "The Musical Bridge to Wonderland" and "The Knight and The Wizard".

Dimitri then told her that he loves mystery books, ones like  
"I Knew Where You Were Last Summer" and "Face-Off"

Both of them went on and on.

"By the way, I uh...don't mean to intrude so much, but where's your mom?"

Dimitri looked at her, but his face fell to the ground.

"Oh...um, nevermi--"

"It's ok. My mom passed away a long time ago.  
Fell sick, but didn't recover."

"Oh...I'm sorry..."

He shook his head.  
"It's ok. It's a long time ago."

It took a good time for them to unpack everything. And by the time it reached noon, all four of them were tired out.

Good thing it was a weekend.

During the lunch hour, Mr.Galatea brought his new neighbours to his favourite eatery, again, by the seaside.  
Almost everything is by the seaside in this town.

Dimitri saw Ingrid's mom join them too. It's a rather big joint, where they're known for their big and cheap platters of oily seafood.

Dimitri saw big plates of crab, prawns, mussels, oysters, clams, all salty while the inside is a tad bit sweet.  
Then there's a bowl of clear salt soup, where he watches the Galatea family wolf it all down as if they have been starving.

He looked at his bowl, and felt his stomach churn. But he closed his eyes and dug in anyways.

Before they left, Ingrid turned to ask Dimitri a question.

"Oh, by the way, are you going to Blue School? Since you're staying here and stuff."

"Oh, yes of course!"

"HUH? REALLY?"

It was a sudden thing, but she grabbed Dimitri's hands and jumped for joy.

"H-huh? Wha--"

"Do you know? That I'm the ONLY one here, in this village, going to Blue School? It's so lonely! Everyone just goes home to some house nearby whereas I have to take a LONG bus-ride back home and stuff."

It's a small seaside village by the road. There's only one bus-stop in the village.

Down the road, it goes uphill and wraps around a long mountain, until it reaches a sprawling metropolis.  
It's a big city, further up north.  
And Blue School is in the big city.

"So now, you and I are going to school tomorrow, right?"

"Uh, yeah, I suppose so."

She grinned,  
"Then we can sit in the bus together!"

"Ah..."  
Dimitri shyly smiled to himself at the thought,  
"That sounds nice..."

It was good to make a new friend before school starts.  
Frankly, he was nervous. But at least Ingrid is there.


	2. Scene 2

Each day, the sun rises up on the small fishing town.  
Each day, the sunlight spills on the walls of the multi-colored houses, signalling a beginning to a new day.

As the dark, straight, empty road starts to grow brighter with those blue shadows casting over them,  
Dimitri excitedly wore his thick, blue jacket over his school uniform, and slipped on his school bag.

He ran over, right next to Ingrid's house, and knocked on the door. And waited.

Soon after, his neighbour burst through the door.  
"Let's go Dima!"

The two kids, wearing thick jackets, rushed over to the other side of the road, where the only bus stop is.

They waited, while chatting about the dumb things that happened in class the other day. Then, the conversation quickly shifted to books, to the new TV series airing each Saturday evening.

All is the same, yet to the two kids, everyday is something different.

What they didn't expect, is that on that particular day, things were a little different than normal.

A new kid in class that day.  
Big.  
Quiet.  
Intense.  
Piercing deep, green eyes that feel as if he can read your soul. 

"Alright class, we have another new transfer student today. Would you like to tell the class your name?"

"...Dedue Molinaro." 

The whole lesson, he did not speak to anyone. Did not raise his hands, did not ask any questions.

Dimitri noticed his presence, but felt a little scared to approach him right away.  
Dedue...he doesn't look like his age, although he's supposed to be close to their age.

As Ingrid and him went back to the bus stop, they saw Dedue already there, quietly waiting for the bus.

They boarded the same bus.  
And the bus went down the winding road, down the straight path.

"...Dima."

"Yeah?"

"Do you think...he stays in the village too?"

"I'm not sure...I don't think I've ever saw him though."

"We should ask, right?" 

Dimitri approached the tall, quiet giant.  
He did not move, but his eyes turned to look. Like an iron golem.

Dimitri tried his best not to flinch.  
("He is about my age, there's nothing to be scared of.  
Dedue is my classmate.")

Dimitri reached out his hand.  
"Uh...hi...I'm Dimitri."

"..."  
Dedue turned.  
Then he awkwardly got out his hand and shaked Dimitri's.  
"Hi."

Ingrid then went up to them, with her hand out as well,  
"Um...! And I'm Ingrid."

"Hi."  
He shook her hand as well. 

They stared at one another in awkward silence.  
Then Dimitri broke the silence again,  
"So...first day in Blue School?"

"Yes."

"How was it?"

"Nice."

"...I, um, I'm a new student too actually. Just joined a month ago. So!"

He cleared his throat and stood a little straighter,  
"If you need anything, just ask me Dedue! We're classmates, and we look out for one another."

Ingrid piped in,  
"Yeah! And if you need help, I can help! I'm good with navigating around the school, and oh! If you're lost at what to eat, I'll show you around."

Dedue stared at the both of them.  
Daylight poured through the bus windows, as the scenery of mountains faded away and melted, the horizons now showing the glimmering sea and the blue sky.

Light illuminated on their faces.

Dedue's shoulders dropped a bit, his stance more relaxed.  
"Thank you." 

Ingrid and Dimitri smiled wider.

"By the way,"  
Ingrid's eyes wandered out of the window, checking the surroundings,  
"We noticed you took this bus. By any chance, did you move into this fishing village? Like, a small colorful one with strange houses--"

"Yes. I just reached this country today."

"This--huh?"

"Dedue, please tell us more!" 

He paused, as if trying to charge up his energy to start speaking at length,  
"I'm not from this cold, mountain country. Mom and I moved here, Mom wanted to open a restaurant.

Today we just reached this country, and we took a taxi to Blue School so I won't be late. Mom then took the taxi to this village--"Fhirdiad Fishing Village". We're living there. Mom's opening a restaurant there too. "

" Wow..."  
Ingrid's fingers are curled up at her lips,  
"Dedue, did you catch any sleep?"

He smiled, wearing a tired face.  
"Barely."

The bus pulled to a stop, at Fhirdiad Fishing Village.  
The three of them alighted at the quiet, remote bus-stop, right at the foot of a steep rock cliff. 

Dimitri turned around, as if looking for something.  
"Dedue, can you show us the restaurant? And your house?"

"Yeah, if you need help, we can help you you know!"

The quiet, tall kid nodded, and led the other two to follow him. 

And the surprising thing is, Dedue's house is right opposite Dimitri's. 

Both houses facing the same straight, long road, just like the rest of the houses in the fishing village.

However, where Dimitri's house is next to the sea, with a long wooden broadwalk at the exterior,  
Dedue's house is at the same side as the bus-stop,  
his house against the tall, rocky walls.  
And the restaurant is the building right next to his home as well, a small, quaint place. 

Dedue led the both of them into his mom's new restaurant.  
Boxes everywhere, just like the time when Dimitri first moved in.

Even so, the place is tight.  
Small, squeezy, the tables and chairs almost side-by-side.

Right at the counter there's a tall drawer, where a small TV set sits.  
A small box TV, just as small as a radio.

It wasn't like that big fish eatery that Dimitri went on his first day. Yet it felt homely, welcoming.

A strange voice rang out in the storage room,  
"Dedue! Who are they?" 

"..."  
Dedue was trying very hard to reply, but some strange awkwardness got stuck in his throat. Then, he spat out,   
"...classmates."

This lady, surprisingly short compared to her son, came out of the storage room while dusting down her dress.  
Short, stout, but a strange aura of strength hung around her.

"Oh? And aren't you his friends?"  
She leaned on the cashier counter, her arms rested on the surface.  
Then, she tilted her head at Ingrid,  
"What's your name dear?"

"Um, I'm Ingrid."

"And yours?"

"I'm Dimitri, Mrs.Molinaro."

"Ooh, Ingrid and Dimitri dear, thank you so much for talking to Dedue here!"  
She went over and squeezed the awkward Dedue on his cheeks, while he stood there uncomfortably.  
"He's so quiet around people, I was scared that he won't make any friends here. But here come you two!  
Really, thank you so much.

If this shop is open I would treat you kids to my fish curry, but--"

"Um it's really OK here!"  
Ingrid stopped here, and swallowed her saliva.  
She was very, visibly hungry.

"You're busy, Mrs Molinaro, so we can help you pack--"

"Oh no it's fine, dear! You kids have to study together, right? So go and study.  
Some things here are delicate, like cutlery, so I'll have to personally unpack them." 

The trio left the restaurant, where Dedue apologised. And both Dimitri and Ingrid were confused as to why he's apologising.

There, Dimitri suggested if they go over to his house to study, and all agreed.

It felt exciting for him.  
One new neighbour, and one new friend.


	3. Scene 3

Three months have passed since Dedue arrived in the quiet, fishing village.  
Summer holidays are coming up, and Dimitri would experience his first summer in Fhirdiad Fishing Village.  
The days are getting warmer, and the sun shines brighter.

Yet each morning feels the same. 

Dimitri would wake up to the morning light pouring through his bedside windows, and he'll sleepily get up, and rub his tired eyes.  
"The Knight and The Wizard" is still lying on his chest, half-read.

He looks at his clock,  
[FRIDAY 6.47AM]

It's the last day of school, in Blue School. Well, last day of that term anyways. The teacher is obviously going to pile them with a huge stack of homework.

Still!  
The holidays mean that he can finally spend time fishing with his dad. 

Dimitri got out of his blue-white bed,  
in his blue-white room,  
got into his deep blue slippers and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

He wore his uniform,  
his striped blue socks,  
then checked his bag.  
All his textbooks are there alright.

Dimitri turned to look at the book lying in his bed, Ingrid's copy of the "The Knight and the Wizard".  
He smiled sneakily to himself and slid the book into his bag.

Then, he rushed down the creaky wooden stairs, piping in a  
"Good morning!"  
to his dad, standing by the hallway, fixing something.

"Good morning Dimitri, there's breakfast on the dinner table by the way."

"Right!"

On the wooden dinner table, there's a brown, paper lunch bag. Curtly rolled up at the top, with a few oil stains at the bottom.  
Dimitri grabbed it and headed out of the door. 

Dedue is already standing there, alongside with Ingrid.

That funny-bangs neighbour rubbed her nose cheekily,  
"Heh, you're the late one today." 

The three of them headed to the bus-stop, the only one in the village, just by the tall rock wall.

There, Dimitri, Dedue and Ingrid would watch the golden sky turn deep blue, the color of the clouds changing, if there were even any clouds in the sky at all.

The sunlight would dawn on the bus-stop, but it'll never have the chance to hit Dimitri and Ingrid's faces before the bus arrives.  
Dedue though, Dedue's forehead would be hit by the warm sunlight.  
He's too tall. 

On the way to school, as the bus drives by the open seaside, up the rocky cliffs, Ingrid started to chatter to the both of them.

"Do you know that there's gonna be someone new moving in?"

Dedue raised his eyebrows in surprise, where Dimitri's exclaimed a  
"What! Who?"

"I've heard from my dad, that it's a really famous guy. Like, really, REALLY famous. And rich.  
Like those type of people that you can look up on FE-pedia."

Dedue looked to the ground, wondering who it could be.  
Then, he quietly spoke,  
"...what's their name? "

Ingrid shrugged.  
"I'm not sure, it's like, ok bear with me because I'm gonna mispronounce it. Like it's one of those weird names that can be easily mispronounced--"

"Oohh come on!"  
Dimitri laughed, his feet a little excited,  
"Just tell us already!"

"Alright alright! It's Gaw-tier, or something.  
I thought it's pronounced as Gaw-tier, but my dad corrected me. Said it's something else, but I can't remember."

Dedue's still deep in thought.  
"How does Mr.Galatea know this?"

"Oh! Here's the fun part--"

Ingrid leaned in close, and both Dimitri and Dedue came closer.  
Like they are whispering top-secret information. 

"My dad hired him to come help something in his fishery."

"WHAT."  
Dimitri exclaimed a little too loudly in the quiet, public bus.

"Mr.Galatea has THAT much power?"

Ingrid scratched her head,  
"I...I don't think so. Which is why it's kinda weird, I mean, I don't think my dad knows anyone except for fishermen."

"Maybe the Gaw-tier guy, maybe he used to be a fisherman?"

Ingrid shrugged.

Dedue fell quiet a bit, his head tilted to one side.  
Both Ingrid and Dimitri waited for his response, already attuned to his body language.  
When Dedue is quiet and looks distant, he's thinking of something profound.

The two kids waited patiently, until Dedue spoke,  
"Maybe the Gaw-tier guy already planned on moving into the fishing village. Then your dad caught wind of it and asked him for help, but not sure what kind of help.  
Then Gaw-tier decides it's a worthy cause, and helps." 

Whatever it is, it's a mystery to the three kids. 

When the bus returned back from the bustling mountain city, Dimitri noticed more vehicles than usual, travelling down the same straight road.  
More trucks than usual.  
All carrying something big and heavy in their huge, steel boxes.

When the trio arrived back at the bus-stop, and make their daily walk down to The Molinaro Restaurant,  
Dedue's mom is already there, waving at them to come in.

There were a few more customers than usual, most of them wearing the same, strange T-shirt.

"MOVERS"  
it said.

"You kids must be hungry, right? Here, sit down and eat up."  
She was in a strange hurry.

Dedue found himself a tight corner spot and waved for his friends to follow him.  
They made their way into a small, hidden spot in the restaurant, right in front of the counter.

Mrs.Molinaro was busy serving the other customers, but once she was done, she got a hot plate of fish rice for the three kids.  
Dimitri was never quite sure if he could stomach fish for the rest of his life.

Then, she sat down with the kids.

Mrs.Molinaro talked in a strange, hushed whisper,   
"Do any of you guys know who's Mr...uh...Mr.'Goh-tee-ay'?"

The three of them looked at one another in confusion.  
Dedue corrected her,  
"Mom, do you mean Gaw-tier?"

"What? Is that...no, but my customers told me that they're working for Mr.Goh-tee-ay. Not Gaw-tier."

Ingrid looked down awkwardly.  
"Uh..."

"Maybe he's called Mr.Goo-tee-ay, not Gaw-tier after all."

Mrs.Molinaro nodded,  
"Right, but anyways, do you know who he is? Apparently there's big ruckus going on up there, and it's because he's moving in.  
And apparently,"  
she stresses her words, pulling the kids' attention in,  
"This guy's famous.

Now, famous for what, I have no idea, but that means that there's gonna be someone living on top of us, Dedue."

He looked up, mouth still full of fish and rice,   
"On top?"

"Yeah. We live at the bottom of the rock cliff,  
that guy, on top. "  
She opened her hands wide, as if trying to show a measurement.

"Big mansion, huge garden and overlooks the whole little village. And we stay right below, Dedue!"

He shook his head,  
"We don't know this person. I don't think it matters."

Ingrid crossed her eyes,  
"Yeah, so what if this Go-what's-his-name is rich and popular, huh? That doesn't change the fact that we're all friends!" 

Only Dimitri ate quietly. 

Dedue turned to look at his friend.  
"...Dimitri?"

Dimitri stared down at the table and ate quietly, unsure of what to say to the kind people around him.  
They looked back, slightly worried.

Dimitri decided to talk. 

"I know someone with that last name...Goh-tee-ay. Actually it's Gautier."  
Dimitri pronounced that foreign name fluently, to their surprise.

"It's...it's someone I know, when I was young. A classmate."

Dimitri stopped eating, and looked down, his hands curled up at his thighs.

"I don't know if he is related to the Mr.Gautier we're talking about, but he's certainly very rich as well."

Then Dimitri fell quiet.  
Dedue gave him a pat on the back.

"You don't look comfortable talking about it. Let's not talk about Goh...uh..Gautier anymore."

"Oh no it's not them that's bad! No worries at all, it's just that it reminds me of that place I came from before I moved here with my dad." 

Dark.  
It was that place that taught Dimitri how to see in absolute black.   
When the lights are switch off,  
When the stars no longer twinkle,  
When the moonlight refuses to shine. 

Dedue, Ingrid and Dimitri finished their meals and gave thanks to Dedue's mom, who told them to rush off to study.

They were supposed to hang out at Ingrid's place that day, but Dimitri had other plans.

"It's the last day of school! Let's hike up the cliff and see that big mansion instead."

"I thought you didn't like--"

"Nah, no one said I didn't like my old classmate, did I? Actually, I'm curious to see how he's doing." 

The sun shines brightly in the clear blue sky, on that warm Friday afternoon.  
Dimitri, Dedue and Ingrid left their jackets and bags back at home, before arriving together at the foot of a tall cliff. 

It's a challenge alright. 

All three of them looked up the slope, under that clear blue sky.  
Dimitri broke a hint of sweat.

They looked at each other, nodded in firm understanding, and started climbing. 

Three kids hiking up the steep cliff, the hope of seeing a glamorous mansion in their minds.

It was a dumb, arduous task. But somehow, it was fun.  
For the first time in Fhirdiad Fishing Village, Dimitri felt a sense of freedom.

Freedom from his silly school homework.  
Freedom from studying for his silly terms.

All three of them are now free, in the summer holidays. All doing dumb stuff together, under the sun.

He smiled silly to himself, and giggled.  
Then Ingrid giggled,  
then the contagious laughter spread to Dedue.

"Dima, why *heheh* why are you laughing like that?"

"No nothing~  
It's just, I'm not studying. I feel so happy."

Dedue chuckled, and snaked his head,  
"That's not right." 

Occasionally, they saw the trucks driving past them, and kept close to the rock wall. 

After what seemed like forever, the trio finally reached the top of the cliff.

And oh boy, didn't it meet their expectations. 

A huge grand mansion towered before them, all glistening white columns and marble walls.

The windows have strange frills to them, and the door is glistening gold.

There are even palm trees lined up in rows by the side of the huge road.

It was more than a mansion.  
That place, it was like a grand palace for a emperor.

There are also rows and rows of trucks parked at one-side, with people carrying all sorts of furniture into the grand mansion.

All three of them hid behind a well-cut bush, watching the movers carry beds, huge statues, sofas, multiple TV-sets.

Dedue whispered,  
"Why is there a need for so many TVs? It's just one guy living inside." 

"I know, right?  
But it's because if you wanna watch TV, you can just take a remote and switch it on, anywhere. No need to walk all the way to the living room to do it."

Dedue jumped.   
Who's that? 

All three of them turned around, and saw a tall, scrawny kid standing behind them.

Red hair,  
trendy clothes,  
and strangely enough,  
plasters all over his face and fingers. 

He had his hands behind his head, and stretched a bit.

"Man! It's been a loooooooooooonng time, Dimitri! How have you been?  
Oh!"  
His attention shifted to Ingrid,  
"Oohh, didn't know you got a girlfriend~ here~"

Ingrid immediately reacted, her skin getting goosebumps,  
"What! No way! We're just friends--"

"Hah!"  
The red boy in the dark, trendy clothes snorted his loud laughter,  
"That's what all girls say. So, how did you two--"

Dedue stood in front of them, blocking the red boy's view of Ingrid.

"Whoa,"  
the red boy took a step back away from Dedue, who's glaring at him.  
"Chill, big guy. I mean no harm, yeah?"

Dedue did not respond. He just stared down at the scrawny, red boy.

Dimitri only looked at the red boy with a squint, not saying anything either.

The red boy took a look at all three hostile glares, at scratched his head.  
"Whoa...calm down guys.  
If yall three did walk all the way up here, how 'bout get some drinks or something?" 

He signaled them to follow him into the house.  
Ingrid was hesitant, and she turned to look at Dimitri.  
Dedue did not budge as well.  
"Is this your old classmate?"

Dimitri couldn't quite answer.  
In fact, his face is riddled with confusion.

"Um actually!"  
He called out to the red boy,  
"Are you Sylvain? As in, Sylvain Jose Gautier? Are you really him?"

The red boy paused, his hand on the door knob. Then he turned around quizzically.  
"Uh, duh? Did I, I don't know, grew too much or something? Did my face grow more handsome?" 

The trio followed Sylvain into his humongous mansion.  
It was certainly grand outside, but even more so inside.

A ceiling that's reaching high, with stained glass on the ceiling. And at the centre of it all, a humongous glass chandelier hanging down, illuminating a huge flight of stairs at the centre.

The three of them were in awe of the grandiose of the mansion, while Sylvain tried to get their attention to follow him into the designer kitchen. 

"Oh! Help yourself to the drinks in the fridge, there's gonna be endless supply anyways.  
There's Merlot, Carbernet, Chianti, all red mind you--"  
Sylvain turned around and saw the confused look on the trio's faces.  
Then he laughed,  
"Oh that's right! There's apple juice as well, no worries."

He took out a carton of fresh apple juice and placed it on a counter.  
He was too, about to grab some wine glasses for his guests, but they already fetched it for themselves. 

They poured themselves a glass of apple juice, each.

Ingrid couldn't help but take in the surroundings. It's just a kitchen, but that place is just as big as her living room. How huge can this mansion get?

"By the way, I'm not done with my question. Genuinely interested, you know."  
Sylvain spoke again, to Dimitri.  
"How did all of you met?"

"Oh. Umm...well, Ingrid and her dad offered to help us out with the moving you see--"

"Why?"

Sylvain rubbed his temples.  
"I mean, you can just call the movers to help you, right?"

Dedue's mouth opened in shock.  
Ingrid crossed her arms.

"Now hold on, not everyone can afford to call some huge team of movers to carry every little thing to anyone's house, yeah? It costs money for that."

"I mean, yeah but..."  
There was genuine confusion on Sylvain's face.

"...anyways, then how did the big guy and you met?"

Dedue broke his silence,  
"Those two reached out to me."

"As in?"

"They befriended me on a bus."

"Right..."  
He gave all of them a good look.

"So, is there some secret love triangle going on--"

"Oh THAT'S it!"  
Ingrid slammed down her glass.  
"This whole time I'm getting major creeps from you, and this is the last straw.  
Dimitri, Dedue, I'll be outside."  
She fumed, and left the kitchen through the sliding door.

Dedue looked at the door, then looked at Dimitri, then looked door again, unsure who to follow. Then he ran out after Ingrid. 

Now left to Sylvain and Dimitri.  
He noticed that his old blonde friend has yet to take a sip from his apple juice.

Sylvain sighed. He leaned his arm against the counter.   
"Girls, you know?  
Not sure what's her problem--"

"What happened to you?"

Sylvain glanced at Dimitri, and took a sip.  
"What happened to what?"

"You..."  
He stared at the counter. His hands are curling up at his thighs again.  
"You're different. I'm not sure how, but you were more...genuine, if that's a term for it.

You didn't talk a lot, but you're not creepy. And you're helpful, I remembered that."

Sylvain took a sip from his apple juice again.  
"How do you know that I wasn't genuine back then, and this is the real me?"

"...why did you change?"

"Every man, their own secrets."

Sylvain finished his cup. He wiped his mouth, and left the cup in the basin.  
"Still, I'm actually happy to see that you're here, Dimitri.  
And here I thought that I'll be alone in this village, but hey! I got you."  
He got his arms around Dimitri's shoulders, but Dimitri removed himself from Sylvain's hug.

"And I have others as well.  
Good bye, Sylvain."

He had a firm walk out of the kitchen door, and ran out of the mansion.  
Dedue and Ingrid were waiting outside.

"Let's go, guys." 

The hike down the rock cliff was a lot shorter, and easier.

Ingrid scowled,  
"No wonder you had troubles bringing your old classmate up. If I had a old classmate like that, I'll cringe!"

Dimitri scratched his head,  
"He wasn't always like that."

"Huh?"

"He's...well, he's a lot like Dedue back then. But slightly different." 

Dimitri held his fingers to his lips, deep in thought, trying to recall old memories.

"He was quiet, 2 years older than everyone else in class. Super smart too."

"Eh? Smart?"

Dimitri nodded.  
"Extremely. Scored close to full marks in all tests, all the time. When I needed help, Sylvain would help me.  
He doesn't talk a lot though. Never smiles, never laughs, never gets angry, never cries.

He had a blank look that he carries all the time."

Dedue then spoke after staying quiet for long,   
"His smile is fake.  
There's something weird, I sense it."

"Yeah I can tell, from his obnoxious face."

Dimitri stared down at the road, seeing his elongated shadow casting on the bright road down.  
"He always told me that he'll be my big brother when I'm lost.

Sylvain has an older brother, but that's all I know."

Dedue kept quiet, as per usual, but there was that distant look in his face again.  
Both Ingrid and Dimitri turned to look at him. But this time, he didn't come up with an answer. Instead, he just shaked his head.

"It's confusing."

"What's confusing?"

"Si...See-vahn?"

"Oh! You mean Sylvain."

"Yes. Sy...syl...Sylvain."

Ingrid frowned, a quizzical look on her face.   
"What's so confusing about him? If it's the way he acts, yeah definitely weird."

"No, more than that. Hmm..." 

The three of them finally reached the bottom of the cliff. Faster than expected, actually.  
Were they walking downhill that quickly?

Dedue was still deep in thought.  
"Why does he have so many plasters on his face?"

"Ah!"  
Ingrid gasped at that,  
"Actually yeah that did puzzled me initially. Maybe something bad happened?"

Dimitri scratched his head,  
"He always had plasters all over his knees, face, fingers, hands. But now that you guys mentioned it, it must look weird at first.

Ah...but oh well!" 

Not that they could do much about it, despite Dedue still in deep thought.  
It was getting warmer, hotter by the second, so all three of them headed to Ingrid's house.

Mr.Galatea owned a fishery out in the open seas, and he gets all sorts of fishermen to work on it. Dimitri's dad, Mr.Blaiddyd, moved in a few months ago and started working there as well.

Once they harvest their load of fish, they'll get a packer to come over and send the haul away, but to where, Ingrid wasn't too sure.

All she knew was that her dad makes money from selling fish to some big seller, and that's all it matters.

Compared to Sylvain's huge mansion, Ingrid's house is a far cry away from any sort of grandiose.  
But they were comfortable, and they were happy.

The three kids ran up to Ingrid's room, where she excitedly dug out a bunch of books hiding in her closet.  
And like that, they spent their time quietly reading, their imagination flying off to a place far away.

Dimitri was hell-bent on finishing "The Knight and the Wizard", whereas Ingrid was reading with Dedue, on his copy of "I know what you did last summer".

They're both reaching a climax, where the main characters are about to uncover a dark mystery hiding underneath their idyllic town. But whether these characters survived, Dimitri vowed to not spoil it for them.

Ingrid flipped to the next page, her fingers tense. 

The day passed by fast.   
It was now dark at night. 

Dedue was helping his mom wash the plates in the restaurant, while she counted the money in the register.

"Dedue, it'll be nice if we had a personal cashier. Then I don't have to run around all day, cooking and getting them to pay."

She turned her head to look at her quiet son, who nodded in response.

"I should help you--"

"Oh no you don't! I want you to study hard, Dedue. Get good grades, get a good job, yeah?"

"...mm."

He set the last of the plates on the dryer.

There, he walked out to catch some fresh air.  
It was then, when Dedue spotted a blink of red light, travelling down the long straight road.

It was coming from the mountain city, that red light travelling at a rapid speed.

A rare sight. 

Dedue continued watching, curious to see what it is at closer distance.  
And soon enough, did he hear the roaring of the engines.

The deafening cry of a huge, black motorcycle, screaming into the dark night sky, under the glistening stars.  
The quiet crashing of the waves against the wooden broadwalk cannot compare to the raw growl of the engines. 

But what was more interesting to Dedue wasn't that glistening black beauty sprinting into the darkness.  
It's the flame-haired rider, clad in a spiky black leather jacket, and dirty ripped jeans, with huge black boots.

The same strange red hair that he saw this afternoon.

Dedue watched the motorcycle screech to a stop at The Molinaro Restaurant, the flame-haired rider pulling off his spiked helmet.

And boy, does he look terrifying.  
Scars on his face, and that horrible scowl.

He pushed Dedue aside and opened the restaurant door. 

"Hey! I'm g--"

"Sorry the restaurant is closed, you'll have to come back tomorrow."  
His mama didn't even bother looking up, neither did her voice flinch nor skip a beat.

"I'm not here for your stupid restaurant. I'm asking a question--Does this guy called Mr.Gautier live up there?"

She didn't bother replying, and counted her cash.

"HEY I'M ASKING--"

Dedue stepped into the restaurant.  
"He is. That big mansion up the cliff."

The biker turned to stare at him, daggers in his eyes.  
Then he buckled back his helmet and headed out to his motorcycle again.

"That's all I need to know." 

The flame-haired biker sped away.

Dedue's mom clicked her tongue,  
"You don't have to entertain him Dedue, those kind of punks aren't worth your time."

But Dedue stared out at the road, where the biker sped off.  
His fingers started to twitch.  
Something is going to happen, he felt it.

"Mom I'm going to meet my friends for a while."

"At this hour? Alright then, but come back soon OK?" 

The chase in the dark night begins.  
The row of multi-colored houses, now bathed in the pale moonlight, shadows the dark street and cloaks its people with darkness.  
Yet one young boy ran to two of the pale houses and knocked the door.  
Both times he was greeted with confused parents, telling him that it's too dark out and he should run back home now. But their child behind them agreed to follow him, understanding the strange grim expression on his face.

After he rounded up his posse, the three friends ran along with him, up the steep slope again.

Dimitri huffed while running,  
"Dedue why are we going there?"

"I saw something. Someone."

Ingrid's eyes went wide.  
"Who, Mr.Gautier? That famous guy?"

"No. Someone else. I think it's Sylvain's brother."

"How would you know?"

Dedue couldn't answer. It was a hunch. A strange one that he got.

The three kids ran up the road, where it diverts to the side and travels up the cliff, emerging from the shadows that the houses below cast on the streets.  
There, up the slope, the roads were pale white. Like running up an icy snow road, with the bright moonlight shining down on them. 

When they reached the peak, Dimitri quickly signaled his panting friends to quickly hide behind a bush.  
There was two people at the scene, outside of the grand mansion.

Sylvain, and the biker. 

Why was Sylvain outside, and why was he looking at the houses below?  
And who was that person in front of him?

It was clear to all of them though,   
Sylvain wasn't in a good condition.

His face was already pale to begin with, but right there and then, even the moonlight looks more pale compared to the color on his face.  
He started to rub the plasters wrapped around his fingers, and his posture was hunched.

The huge biker stared down at him, grimace on his face, yet his lips broke out into a smile.  
Not the kind ones, but the ones where a bully makes to his victims.

"You know, when you moved away with Dad, I thought that you were trying to change and be some 'better person' that you kept saying to be.

But look at you now!"  
He grabbed Sylvain by his red hair, and pulled it up, laughing.  
Sylvain grabbed the biker's hands and squeezed it tight, as if trying to tell him to let it go.  
He kicked and flailed, but never cried out loud. Just whimpered,

"...stop...Miklan..."

"You were rambling on how you're gonna be 'best buds' with Dimitri, didn't you?  
What, scared him off? I bet Dimitri doesn't even wanna talk to a freak like you! Right?  
Say that you're a freak, Sylvain."

Sylvain grabbed Miklan's hands tight, and whimpered.

"I can't hear you~"

He gave a weak sputter,   
"...I'm...a...freak..."

"That's right. You're a stupid, good-for-nothing monster."  
He dropped Sylvain, and watched the scrawny kid fall on the ground, scraping his knees.  
"You try to get people to like you, try to act like those cool kids, but no one ever will. Hear that? Don't even try--"

"...D-Dad..."  
Sylvain muttered something, pushing himself up from the floor.

"Dad and Mom loves me."  
He glared at Miklan, his eyes glistening in the cold moonlight.

Dimitri stared in horror.

He never saw Sylvain cry before.  
Or had any emotions.

Miklan paused, then glared at Sylvain with eyes of a murderer. Something flickered in his face.  
A strange expression, one that made Sylvain yelp and curl up in a ball, protecting his head with his arms.

Miklan screamed,  
"Dad and Mom only loves you because you're some stupid, baby kid! And--and--"

"Alright that's enough!"  
Dimitri stepped out of the bushes.

Sylvain's eyes widened in fear.  
"No...no...no no no no no!  
He screamed at Dimitri,  
"W-why are you here! Go back home, this is none of your business--"

"It's my business to know who is this guy and why is he beating up Sylvain. And I'm not alone."

Dedue got out of the bushes, and so did Ingrid. Both glared daggers at Miklan. 

Sylvain stared at the three friends, and felt his guts drop.  
"All of you guys, get out of here."

"No."  
Dimitri stood his ground.  
"Not until I know what's going on."

Ingrid continued,  
"Why are there so many plasters on Sylvain's face? I think I know now."

Miklan's eyebrow twitched.  
He turned away from Sylvain, and made his way towards the three kids,  
dangerously,  
slowly.

And there, all three of them saw how he really looked with his back against the pale moon.

A figure in black, with flaming red hair and blood red eyes, glaring right back at them.  
He took something out of his pocket, clicked it, and flashed it in front of the kids. 

A glistening, glimmering switchblade.  
Miklan's voice came slow, like a warning.

"Back the fuck off. All of you."

Goosebumps crawled up Dimitri's skin. Why is someone like him walking around with a switchblade?

He took a step back as Miklan made his way forward, but Dedue didn't budge.  
He still looked back at Miklan, unflinching.

Miklan of course, noticed.  
He pointed his knife at Dedue,  
"You, stupid punk from down there. You want a taste of this?"

Dedue continued staring at him.

"You're a weak, lonely kid." 

"What?!"  
The flame-haired biker snarled.  
"Weak?"  
His voice was unsteady.  
"Let's see if this is weak--!"

"DEDUE LOOK OUT!!!"  
He felt something push him. 

It was a blur, for a while.

Dedue opened his eyes and saw himself lying on the cold, granite floor, someone's hands lying at his legs.  
He looked down, and saw Ingrid lying on the floor, panting as well.

Both of them quickly got up, and saw Dimitri grabbing Miklan's armed hand and pining it down with all his strength.

"What the--"

Dimitri growled at him, baring his strange fangs in his face.  
Fangs.

Huge fangs.

Dedue had never realised, neither did Ingrid.

Miklan tried to get up, but his arm was completely pined down.  
Sylvain caught the cue and rushed over, wrestling the switchblade out of Miklan's hands.

And just as Dimitri was about to let the biker go, the huge golden doors flung open, bright light in the huge hallway hitting all of them. 

There was a man standing there.  
Tall. Not as tall as Mr.Blaiddyd, neither is he as huge.  
But definitely tall and lanky, dressed entirely in black.   
Red hair as well. But unlike Miklan, his hair was cut short.

The tall, red-haired man readjusted his spectacles. And spoke, in a quiet,  
yet terrifyingly dignified voice,

"What's going on here?"

And Dimitri saw Miklan's face turn pale with fright.  
He immediately pushed the two kids aside,  
grabbed his helmet,  
hopped onto his motorcycle,  
and sped off.

The tall man with the red hair took soft, quick steps down the big golden doors and took a look at the four kids sprawled all over his front yard.

"Sylvain."

Sylvain got up, dropped the switchblade, and stared down at the floor silently.

The tall man stared.  
"Show me your leg."

Sylvain quietly, and obediently got out his leg. The one with a scratch.  
The tall man looked at it, and his fingers trembled.  
He fell to his knees and hugged him tight.

"I was careless..."

"It's ok, I was standing outside."

"And why? Didn't I told you to stay in your room by 9pm sharp?"

"..."  
Sylvain's lips pursed.

The tall man got up, dusted dust off his pants, and readjusted his spectacles again.  
It was strange.  
Dimitri couldn't quite see his eyes. As if his spectacles kept reflecting the moonlight off his face. 

He now turned to the other three.  
"Who are you?"

"Uh..."

Ingrid spoke up,  
"We're his neighbours. Dedue here--"  
she pointed at her tall, quiet friend,  
"He noticed something was wrong. So we followed him and ran all the way up here."

The tall man nodded in understanding.

"Thank you.  
And go home now, it's late."

He walked to a bright red car, parked at the side of the front yard.

Sylvain turned to see the tall man open the car door.

"Um...Dad? W-where are you going?"

"I'm getting some beer."

"..."

He got into the car, closed the car door, and the car engine roared.  
The four kids stood aside as the red sports car sped off.

Sylvain whispered,  
"...he hates beer." 

Dimitri could only stare at that strange red car drive off, before he told everyone that they should be going back home now.  
It is getting late at night.

They turned around, but not long after, they heard a small, weak,  
"...thank you..."

Dimitri turned around.

Sylvain was still standing outside, like an idiot. He was clutching onto his own hands, rubbing the plasters.  
"...thank you so much..."

Now it was Ingrid had Dedue's turn to look at him.

Sylvain, so much different from before, standing there and sniffing.  
Uncharacteristic behaviour. 

Dimitri really never saw Sylvain cry before. He was like a robot to him.

Now, he wasn't sure what to do when his old classmate crumpled to the floor on his knees and started wailing, muttering and hiccuping soft "thank you"s over and over, like a broken record.

Dimitri shook his head.  
"If there's anyone to thank, it's Dedue. He rallied us to come for you."

"Dedue..."

Sylvain gingerly picked himself up, and gave Dedue a tight hug.  
He felt his shoulders get wet.  
"Uh."  
He started feeling awkward.  
"It's ok. Please don't cry."

"You're...*sniff*...you're so brave...if Miklan stabbed you..."

"Uh, Ingrid pushed me out of danger so it's fine. I'm not scared of people like him anyways."

"Ingrid..."

Sylvain turned to Ingrid with teary eyes.  
She backed away a little.  
"Uhh it's ok please don't hug me--"

But Sylvain threw his arms around her anyways, sniffing and hiccuping away.  
"I...uugg...*sniff*...I'm sorry Ingrid..."

"Just don't do it again, ok? It's so creepy. I don't care how they do it elsewhere, but they don't do it here."

He backed away and nodded.  
Finally, he turned to Dimitri.

"I uh...I guess..."

"It's a goodnight for now. And if that guy ever comes back, you come to us, ok?"

Sylvain nodded. And for the first time, he gave a warm, tearful smile to all of them.  
A genuine one. 

"Goodnight everyone. And thank you."   
==  
Dimitri sat by his bedside, looking at the pale moon hover above the dark, shimmering ocean.  
The clock by his bedside said [12 AM].  
He couldn't sleep.

Whatever happening earlier that night, the adrenaline was still rushing in his veins.  
Still, he felt that Sylvain was hiding a few more things. Especially that behaviour. Where did he learn it from?   
Was he trying to mimic someone?  
Whatever it is, hopefully he gets better from it.

Dimitri laid in bed, the cold moonlight over his eyes.  
He couldn't sleep.

Maybe it's time to finish "The Knight and The Wizard".

Dimitri quietly got up from bed.

Then, the doorbell rang. 

Strange.  
Who could it be?

He opened his door quietly and approached the top of the creaky wooden staircase, but he didn't climb down.

Instead, he saw his Dad rush out to the door, in his dumb blue pyjamas.

When he opened the door, there Dimitri saw.  
The tall, red-haired man, dressed in the same black attire.

He's carrying something in his hands.  
A packet of beer.  
And a bouquet of blue and white flowers. 

His dad exclaimed,  
"Mr.Gautier! What brings you here?"

"I just moved in, Lambert."

"Oh....  
Right."

He opened the door wider, for his new guest to come in.  
Dimitri hid behind the wall, hoping none of them catch him. 

The adults were talking about normal adult stuff,  
stuff that little Dimitri didn't quite get. Whatever it is, that packet of beer and flowers were meant for his dad.

Still, Dimitri wondered to himself,  
("My dad...he knows Mr.Gautier? The famous Mr.Gautier? How?")

("Actually, what is Mr.Gautier famous for? Is he an actor? A singer? Or some world-famous fisherman that all fisherman respect?  
But no, he doesn't look like a fisherman...is he a famous doctor? A fish doctor?") 

He was about to go back to his room, until Dimitri felt the mumble of conversation grow still.

He stopped to listen. 

Mr.Gautier's voice was right underneath him.  
They must be in the kitchen.

"Why is someone like you doing out here in some rural outskirts? One where they eat fish for a living, no less."

"..."  
His dad spoke, a certain joke to his voice,  
"I can ask the same for you.  
Why are you here?"

"...every man, their own secrets."  
Dimitri heard Mr.Gautier down a can of beer, before choking violently.

"Whoa there! If you can't hold your liquor, don't force--"

"This shit is disgusting."


	4. Scene 4 and 5

The deep blue ocean.  
A school of fishes swimming along the underwater currents.  
Jellyfishes drifting along the waves.  
A bed of rocks, it's surface painted with the shimmering reflection of the underwater surface.  
All while the sun above shines in the sky.

In the distance, there were two kids swimming down below. Swimming with not legs,  
not hands,  
but tails.

Tails that shimmer in the reflection of the bright, underwater surface.  
Tails with scales that change their hue in the light, like genuine pearls with a rainbow of colors on their cream-silver surfaces.

These two in particular, the smaller one following the other, with tails that glitter like turquoise sequins.  
From bottom to up, the scales slowly turn translucent to a pearly, opal-like membrane that covers their human skin.  
It stretches to their hands like a long-sleeved tight, translucent turtleneck. And their fingers still covered with translucent, beautiful scales.  
Albeit webbed.

But their faces are eerily human. Apart from gills that replace their ears, and fins that stretch from their human elbows. 

Yet, strangely enough, although they didn't have human ears, they had human noses.

Yes, with gills as ears.

The smaller of the two kids followed the older one, the two of them swimming further and further from where they came from.  
He watched the huge clutter of jellyfishes pass them by, swinging and drifting to the currents underwater.  
There, he spoke to the older one, his brother.

"Glenn, why's there so many jellyfishes here?"

The older of the two kids stopped and turned around, the momentum of his speed allowing the waters to drift him backwards.

"I'm not sure actually. But that means that the 'ceiling' is nearby."

"Is the 'ceiling' where the jellyfishes live?"

"Nah. But they certainly like to congregate there."

The two kids, human-fish creatures, continued swimming through the deep blue sea,  
further and further.  
Past the school of fishes,  
past a group of dolphins hopping by,  
past a nest of turtles travelling in a stream. 

The little kid asked more questions, an excited look on his face, like a child going for an adventure.

"Sooo, what's the 'ceiling' like? Is it big? Is it scary?  
Oh!"  
He leaned in closer, an excited whisper coming from his missing-toothed grin,

"Is it exactly like what Dad told us?"

Glenn chuckled,  
"No way, Felix!"

He started to swim a little slower, trying to recall his memories.  
"How do I put it, the 'ceiling' I saw was small.  
Not super small, something like..."  
He looked at Felix,  
"...I can fit two Felix-es in it."

"What! No!  
D-Dad told me that when he saw a 'ceiling' it was--"  
And then Felix stretched his arms for size,  
"--hhUGE. Like THIS big!  
Big,  
made of metal,  
with big scary turny-thingy!"

"...turbines."

"Turr-bine-thingy. Whatever."  
Felix crosses his little chubby arms with a pout.

"But it's definitely big. 'Ceilings' are big--"

"--but 'ceilings' can be small too.  
Don't you wanna see where I found mine?"

Felix floated where he is, unsure.  
He turned around, and saw the vastness of the deep blue sea.

Home was far, far away. Not as if it's the first time they wandered off, but this time, it's definitely the furthest.

Felix looked back in front of him, and saw Glenn, still waiting for him, with the backdrop of tons of beautiful, translucent, blue jellyfishes. 

"I don't know..."

"Oh so you pussied out? Fair enough, I'll just go on my own."

"..."  
Felix started shaking.

Glenn laughed to himself and started swimming away, fast enough to give Felix a message, but slow enough to tease him to come.

And he did come.

"NO! No I'm coming! I'm not scared! I'm coming to see the ceiling, ok? Then I'll tell Dad that I'm braver than you!"

Felix then gave his all to chase after Glenn, right into the wall of blue jellyfishes drifting by. 

The scenery started to change, bit by bit.  
Slowly, Felix found himself surrounded by both silvery fish and jellyfishes.  
He started to see the ground catch up to him, until his membrane belly barely misses the surface of the rock structures.

It's getting warmer, and rockier.  
He's starting to lose Glenn as well.  
Too many of those pesky, blue jellyfishes are clouding his vision.

"Glenn! Where are you?"

He heard his brother's voice calling out in front.

"Felix! Over here! I found it!"

"The 'ceiling'?!"

"Yes!" 

He zoomed his way past all the jellyfishes, until he reached a clearing with Glenn, floating in the middle.

And there he saw.  
The first 'ceiling' he ever saw in his life. 

Amidst the life in the ocean, the ceiling was still.  
Unmoving.  
It was like those blue jellyfishes, drifting by in the deep, blue ocean.  
But unlike the jellyfishes, it did not sweep past easily because of the currents.  
It was relatively still.

Felix saw the ceiling of the glimmering surface, the sun pouring into the waters with the ceiling as a solid shadow.

Glenn turned to look at his little brother's face and smiled.  
That's the look of awe, alright.  
Those big, reddish eyes fixated on something he has never seen before in his life.

While Felix was busy staring, Glenn started telling him what he saw the other time. 

"When I saw the ceiling over here, I was struck in awe, just like you.  
Then, I saw something lowered down from the surface."

"Huh?"  
Felix did not turn his head.  
"What is it?"

"A long wire. And at the bottom of the wire, a hook with a bait."

That snapped Felix out of his reverie.  
"A...bait?"

"Yeah. For fishes to eat. So those creatures above can catch them to eat."

"Creatures..."

Felix recalled.  
It was in his school textbooks, the history of those strange creatures that live in the air above.  
Creatures that sit on the top of ceilings and eat fishes, like them.

But where do these creatures live? What do they do?  
Felix doesn't know.  
And now, there's a possibility that he might see those strange, air creatures living above those ceilings.

"But funny, though."

"Hmm? What's funny, Felix?"

"I don't see any hook today."

Glenn shrugged.  
"Maybe they're sleeping." 

==

Clear blue skies, barely a cloud up there that day.  
The sun was beating down on both Dimitri and his dad, as they sat in their small fishing boat, drifting out at sea.

It was the night before, when his dad suddenly told him,  
"Hey! I finally fixed the fishing net!"

It was something small, but his dad was really, really happy.  
When he first came to work at the Galatea's, he couldn't help catch fish because his fishing net was broken. So all he did was help out with Mr.Galatea's huge problem--the jellyfishes. 

Dimitri quietly sat in the boat, helping to fix the "supposed to be working but his dad broke a huge hole through it again" fishing net.

And his dad was talking to him, passing the time under the warm sun.

"Mr.Galatea here, he has an issue with the jellyfishes, you see. There's a huge bloom around these waters, and they keep getting themselves stuck in the air pipes.

Because of that, many of the fishes in the fishery suffocate and die, rotting inside the waters."

Dimitri's eyebrows knitted,  
"That's bad..."

Mr.Blaiddyd sighed,  
"Yeah, it is. So net-less folks like me help to clear the jellyfishes out, day in, day out.  
Now that I got my net fixed, I can help catch fish now, but..."  
He sighed.  
The poor guy looks crestfallen about the huge hole he ripped open.

Dimitri shaked his head,  
"Why can't you just fish using the pole? You know, like we do together?"

"Oh that doesn't net enough fish, Dimitri--ah! Can you grab the net over here? I'll need to stretch this part."

"Ok!" 

Now part of the net is fixed.  
Mr.Blaiddyd gave a hearty chuckle to himself,  
"We're making progress!"

Dimitri smiled as well.  
"Anyways, what about the jellyfishes? You can't just pull jellyfishes out of the air pipe forever." 

Mr.Blaiddyd nodded,  
"That's where Sylvain's dad comes in."

"Mr.Gautier?"

"Yeah. He's famous for tons of uh..."  
Mr.Blaiddyd scratched the back of his head, an uncomfortable look on his face.

"...?"

"Uh...let's just say he's famous for tons of stuff, good or bad, that's up to you.  
But his one of his first work as a true-blue marine biologist is related to jellyfishes.

When he moved here, god knows for what reason, Mr.Galatea must have caught wind of that. Maybe searched through FE-pedia or something."

"..."

He looked up and noticed Dimitri's head looking down, deep in thought.

"What's wrong?"

"I wonder how Sylvain must be doing, must be terribly lonely up there."

"Oh yeah, he's technically bedridden now, right? It is getting warmer by the day.  
Poor kid."

It took a while, but eventually, the net was fixed.  
And a good time too, Dimitri felt a migraine coming in, with the hot sun beating down his back.  
Just like Sylvain and everyone else that came from that place, he doesn't do too well in the heat.

"Uh, Dad? Can we go back now? I'm feeling a headache coming."

Mr.Blaiddyd nodded at him, his face also wet with sweat. But he's too happy to stop himself.  
"Just this one throw, alright? I'll show you how to catch fish with net, then we sort them out once we reach the village."

"Ok!"

==

Felix has been looking at the 'ceiling' for a while now. It was a wonder, with how long he can look at it.

Glenn tugged his hands,  
"Hey, let's go home now."

Felix stared at it, but nodded.

"Glenn I think I saw someone up there."

"Huh?"

He frowned a little,  
"The ceiling, it's rocking a little. Is that normal?"

Glenn was a little confused at first.  
The ceiling, rocking? Was that possible?  
However, a cold realisation slowly dawned on him.

"F-Felix we should get away now."

"Huh? Why?"  
Then he gave Glenn a proud, little smirk, crossing his arms.   
"Are you pussy-ing out? Huh?"

"Felix this is no laughing matter, let's go home.  
Now."

"Can I know why the ceiling is rocking first? Then I'll go home."

"The creatures woke up--"

Something struck the surface of the ocean, a heavy mesh of white and air bubbles.

Glenn was quick to dodge it, but soon after he maneuvered his own tail out, he saw his little brother, frozen on the opposite side of the strange mesh.

Utterly shocked.  
Utterly terrified.

"Felix!"

"Glenn what's this--"

"Felix get out of there!!"

He grabbed the mesh tightly, trying to wrestle it off his field of view, but whoever that's holding onto the white mesh is stronger than whatever Glenn can pull.

"No--" 

==

Dimitri leaned over the small fishing boat while watching his dad struggle with the fishing net.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know,"  
Mr. Blaiddyd had a sharp-fanged grin on his face,  
"but looks like a big catch!  
Can you help me out here?"

"Right!"

Dimitri got to the side and, with all their strength, the two of them pulled up the fishing net.  
As if the drag of water did not weigh their hands down.

But when whatever catch they pulled slammed down on the boat with a wet flop, they could only stare with horror. 

Some weird fish-human thing.  
Pathetically flopping around.

"Wha--"

Dimitri felt something rising in his lungs.  
Like he saw a beheaded ghost. 

"WHAT'S THAT!"

"I-I don't know--"

"WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

It was like a blur.  
A hallucinatory headache.  
He felt his body move by itself.  
Threw himself to the other side of the boat.

But somehow, somehow, his dad had the stomach to look at that abomination.  
Albeit with a tinge of fear.

==

He couldn't breathe.  
There was something hot on his skin. What was it?  
He couldn't feel himself breathe, or watch anything.

There was screaming in the air.  
Why does it sound like that? Who's screaming?

Felix felt his vision start to blur.  
He was not in that water, but his surroundings, they're still blue.

Glenn.  
Where's Glenn?

Felix felt himself gasp.  
The ground he was on was rocking violently.

What was that?

Screaming.

"Dad the boat is rocking like crazy!"

"Dimitri sit down. We'll get out here--"

Something pierced the boat.

"GAAAHHHH!!!!"

"What the hell is that?!"

Ice blue.  
No.  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
No  
Glenn he can't have--

Deep underwater, something churned in Glenn's webbed palms.  
He was panting, his vision getting more foggy by the second.  
But he didn't care.  
He'll kill them.

Dad kills these creatures too.  
Take a friend off.  
The other must die.  
That metal ceiling he saw, it isn't floating anymore.

He aimed his palms at that horrid, disgusting plank of wood.

He'll get Felix back.  
He must.

The water at his palms started to freeze, and the color of the waters turned icy blue.  
A sharp bolt of ice then ejected from his palms, striking that disgusting ceiling again. 

A second bolt of ice struck the sinking boat, right where Dimitri sat.   
And somehow,  
with strange frequency,  
his nimble feet moved and he dodged the strike.

"Wha--"

Mr.Blaiddyd quickly moved over and hugged him tight, getting his body off the boat.  
While Dimitri hugged his dad tightly, tears in his eyes and hands trembling, he watched that strange fish-thing look at him with dazed eyes.

The engine warmed up and the boat sped away, although it's slowly sinking into the waters.

Seawater pooled in from the bottom of the boat, reaching the drying scales on Felix's fish tail.  
He still wasn't fully conscious, but that water, it helped a bit. 

Mr. Blaiddyd got him down to where the engine is.  
Then, he moved over to the waters leaking through.  
It isn't as bad.  
Those ice bolts help plug the holes, although they're the ones that made them.  
He looked to the horizon, hoping that the scenery of the fishing village arrives sooner.

And deep underwater, Glenn watches that ceiling speed away.  
He couldn't get anymore out,  
two was his limit.

He panted, gripping his sore, twitching up tightly.  
Then, he forced his arm up again.  
If he couldn't form any more ice out, he'll have to try his best to topple the ceiling and save Felix.

There, small whirlpools start to form, and he creates a wave big enough to push the boat, but that's it.

Then, he blacked out. 

When they reached the pier, it was already blistering hot.  
The sun shining down relentlessly in the clear blue sky.

Mr.Galatea and Ingrid rushed down to the pier, already sensing something amidst.  
As if those two ice poles jutting out of the boat isn't something to be alarmed at.  
They helped their two neighbours out of the boat, both of them already weak and dizzy from the heat.  
But when they saw what's in the boat, that caught their attention.

But whatever that thing is, it's drying up quickly as well.

Mr and Mrs.Galatea carried the body into their neighbour's bathroom, where Mr.Blaiddyd filled it up with water.  
There, still in a dizzy panic, they threw the slimy body in, as if trying to preserve it.

Dimitri was told to just "rest, and let the adults handle it".  
But how could he rest? Their boat is broken and half-sunk. And that strange creature, and...

...and with all that worrying, Dimitri passed out on the couch on that hot sunny day, still drenched in his clothes.

He wasn't aware that Dedue and Ingrid came in to check on him.  
They quietly left soon after, with Dedue getting a towel over his body. 

It was in the evening where he felt someone rocking his body, telling him to get up and bathe.

It was none other than his dad, although he looks equally as tired.

Why was he sleeping on the couch? Why is there some patterned towel over him? Doesn't it belong to Dedue?

Dimitri got up from the couch, and rubbed his eyes.  
The living room is still quiet, the ceiling fan still spinning with that quiet hum.  
He went over to the creaky wooden stairs, walked up, got to the 2nd storey.  
Laid down Dedue's towel (made a mental note to return it to him), took his clothes, his own blue towel, went to the bathroom.

And screamed. 

"Y-you!"

He pointed at that creature, lying in his bathtub. Not as if that creature was equally as terrified, hiding his eyes and trembling.

"I thought I was dreaming that we were on a capsizing boat, but turns out it's real, huh..."

There were heavy 'thud' noises up the creaky staircase, as Mr.Blaiddyd rushed up to the upper bathroom.  
He opened the door, and his panicked expression fell.

"Oh.  
Dimitri you'll have to use the walk-in-shower instead, the bathtub is used up, ok?"

Dimitri stared at that creature, still cowering.

"Uh...ok."

He gave him a tired smile, then slowly closed the door.

It's now just the two of them.  
Dimitri awkwardly stared at that human-fish thing, unsure of what to say, what to do.  
And the human-fish, lying in the bathtub full of water, timidly looked back at him with terrified eyes.

Come to think about it, Dimitri felt a little bad screaming at him. Ignoring the fact that he doesn't have legs and have weird skin with scales, the human-fish looks young.  
Probably around his age. Maybe younger, with such cute big eyes like that, and such cute chubby hands.

Dimitri kneeled down by the bathtub to face him.  
The little human-fish pushed his body back against the wall and hugged himself, tears in his eyes.

"Um..."  
Dimitri tried to break the silence,  
"Sorry for screaming at you, you just...uh...look kinda different."

God that sounds bad. 

"A-anyways!"  
He cleared his throat and held out his hand,  
"Nice to meet you! I'm Dimitri, what's your name?"

The little fish kept quiet, still holding himself timidly.

"Oh uh...nevermind. I'll go take a shower first, ok?"

Dimitri set his clothes and towel aside, went to the walk-in shower, closed the curtains and turned on the tap.  
That whole time, he was wondering if fishes even shower at all. 

==

When Felix woke up to see himself stuck in a bathtub of water, he started to cry.  
And right after, quickly covered his mouth to stiffen his wails.

He should have turned back.  
He shouldn't have stayed underneath the ceiling.  
Glenn probably overtaxed himself trying to save him, and it's all his fault.

Right after, he stayed submerged under the bathtub, trying to sleep his little tears away.  
He'll survive this.  
Glenn would come.  
He's sure of it.

When that strange blonde boy started talking to him, Felix made another surprising observation. 

They speak the same language.  
Why?  
Little Felix did not know.  
He thought that the creatures would speak differently from people like him, but turns out they speak the same.

But Felix kept his mouth shut when he asked him strange questions.  
Mom would always tell him,  
"Don't speak to strangers. If they talk to you, pretend you don't understand, ok?"

He'll have to keep his mouth shut.  
Pretend he doesn't know a word. 

Felix watched that silhouette behind the curtains do something like "shower".  
He could hear a jet stream of water pouring down, hitting the tiled floor. Was he washing himself in the water?

Felix curled up and hugged his mermaid tail with his webbed hands, silently watching the silhouette.  
That boy, he screamed at him. He was terrified of what he looked like, but so was Felix.

However, when he tried to shake his hand, he looked kinder. Felix wasn't sure why.  
Maybe it's that smile? Maybe the glimmer in his blue eyes?

("But I can't talk to strangers...")

But would they help him if they hear his pleas? That boy and the huge guy, they don't look like bad people.

But how does a bad person even look like, anyways?

Dimitri dried himself up and wore his comfortable, blue pyjamas. He then dried his hair with the blue towel, and pulled open the shower curtains.  
The little fish kid is still there.

"Uh, hello."  
Dimitri gave a little wave. The fish kid did not respond, only stared. He couldn't blame him, he was far removed from his life.  
Maybe they removed him from his family as well.

Dimitri looked down, a little sad.

"Uh...I know you must miss your family and friends a lot...sorry. Umm..."  
He looked up at the fish kid.  
He was trying to look brave, unemotional, but Dimitri could see a waterfall of tears coming.

"Uh! Oh no please don't cry! I'll think of a way to bring you back, ok? I'm sure that--"

The fish kid started snorting uncontrollably.

Dimitri quickly rushed over, trying to get the fish kid to calm down, but the faucet has already turned.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

"Please calm down I won't hurt you!"

"UUNNGGnngh *sniff sniff* uuunnnNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"  
Fists curled up into balls, trying to rub that waterfall of tears streaming down his wet face.

Dimitri was at a loss for what to do, until he heard the doorbell ring.

The fish kid was frightened by that noise, and jolted up, his fish tail splashing around the bathtub water.  
Dimitri turned to look at him, patting him on the back (and realising how slimy he is)

"I'll go get the door, ok? Then I'll come back here."

He rushed out of the bathroom, headed down the creaky stairs.  
Funny, his dad wasn't in the living room.

Dimitri opened the door, and was met with the sight of his three friends.

Sylvain had his hands at the back of his head, a little casual, but curious.  
"Ingrid told us everything by the way. Some mermaid kid."

Dedue nodded,  
"We'll like to see him, if you don't mind. If he doesn't mind as well."

"He's actually crying right now. I think he misses the sea actually."

Ingrid clasps her hands over her mouth,  
"No! No that's so sad! We have to return him back to where he came from!"

Dimitri nodded.

He allowed his friends in, as they followed him up the stairs to the upper-level bathroom.

There, the fish kid saw more children, just like him.  
He wasn't crying as bad as before, but still hiccuping and sniffing.

They...they look kind.  
Except the one with red hair. There was a strange look in his eyes.

Ingrid came close to the bathtub and held out her hands,  
"Hi, I'm Ingrid! You were unconscious when I first saw you on the boat actually."

The fish kid just looked at her.

Dedue furrowed his brow.  
"Maybe he doesn't understand us. Maybe they speak fish language."

"Oh! That's right, mermaids in fairy tales don't quite share the same language as humans. Hmm..."

Something flashed in her mind.

"Oh! How about this--"

Ingrid went to the basin and poured water into her hands.

Dimitri was a little surprised.  
"Wait, what are you doing Ingrid?"

"If I talk into the water, maybe he'll understand me."

"*snort* Don't be ridiculous! Ingrid stop--"

Too late.  
She got her face into her hands full of dripping water.  
"Bbubblo? Bbuun dbbluubluu bbluembe bow?"

Dimitri had to hold himself back from laughing, and pulled her away from the fish kid. Dedue let a chuckle escape from his smile.

And then they heard a high-pitched chuckle.

The little fish kid was giggling a little. Then he was shocked, and quickly covered his mouth.

Dimitri's eyes lit up.  
"Hey you laughed!"

The fish kid shook his head, as if he did something naughty and refused to own up.

"Oh come on, you have a nice laughter you know."

The fish kid covered his mouth and stared.

Dimitri folded his arms.  
"Right. If you're gonna be all unresponsive again, it won't do you good."

Dedue suddenly piped up,  
"Maybe we should tickle him."

"Huh. How do you know they'll feel tick--"

"NO! NO TICKLE!"

All of them were in shock.

They turned to look at the fish kid, now covering his mouth very, very tightly.

Sylvain suddenly spoke, almost too calmly.  
"You can speak."

The fish kid shook his head.  
A smile started to form on Sylvain's face.

"You can understand us as well."

The fish kid started to cry.

Dimitri quickly intervened,  
"Ok ok cut it out."

He cleared his throat. Then looked at the fish kid.   
"Ok, we're trying to help you get out. Tomorrow, I'll speak to my dad and try to release you back into the sea, ok?

But for now, I don't think I want you to just sit here and cry to yourself. It's lonely.  
So!"  
He crossed his arms,  
"We'll keep you company, alright? And I don't care if you don't want to speak to us, that's fine. But I won't leave you alone."

Ingrid nodded.  
"I'll stay here for as long as I can as well."

Dedue nodded quietly as well.  
He turned to Sylvain, still strangely quiet after saying those two sentences.

He snapped out of his reverie.  
"Oh! Yeah, no biggie I'll just stay here."

The little fish started to tear up again.  
There, he said his first, soft words in his cute, pitched voice.

"Why...why are all of you so nice? I hear that the ceiling creatures are horrible."

"Ceiling creatures?"

The little fish nodded, wiping his fat, crystal tears with his webbed hands.

"That's what we call you. On the sea, you live on those ceilings.

I never knew that there's a bigger, hugger ceiling here that you live on. Made of rocks too."

Dedue whispered to himself,  
"...boats..."

"??"

"Boats. Those 'ceilings', those must be boats you're referring to."

The little fish tilted his head.  
"B-boats?"

"Ahh..."  
Dimitri spoke,  
"Nevermind that! You won't know what 'boats' and 'land' are."

Ingrid pursued her lips thinking out loud,  
"So we're called ceiling creatures here, right? Here, we call you a 'mermaid'."

"M-mer...mermaid?"

"Uhuh. Although mermaids in fairy tales don't have such pretty, pearly translucent skin over them. It's just human skin with a fish tail."

The little fish looked at himself.  
"Mermaid..."  
He cutely giggled.  
"That sounds so pretty."

Dimitri nodded enthusiastically.  
"It is! It's a pretty name for pretty-folk."  
He scratched the back of his ears, a little flushed, then continued.  
"But I bet you've a prettier name than that."

"Name...oh! Uh!"  
The little mermaid reached out his chubby little webbed-hands.  
"I'm Felix!"

"Felix..."  
Dimitri got out his hands,  
"Well, I'm Dimitri. Nice to meet you."

Felix pointed to Ingrid,  
"And you're Ingrid?"

She nodded happily and clapped.

Then his little webbed finger moved to Dedue.  
"And you?"

"Oh."  
He moved over to shake his hands as well, awkwardly doing the same thing as Dimitri.  
"I-I'm Dedue."

Felix had a happy smile on his face.  
"Dedue...that's a cute name too! Heehee!"

Dedue looked to the side and rubbed his neck shyly.

Felix then pointed to the strangely quiet red-head behind everyone.

"And you?"

There had been a strange look on his face the whole time.

"..."

Dimitri turned and looked at him, slightly confused.  
"...Sylvain? Are you OK?"

"Chimera."

"Huh?"

There was an excited smile that grew on his face.  
The sick type.  
Dedue took one look at it and felt his stomach drop.

"You're just like those experiments my dad does. Of course, none lived but--"

"Stop it."  
Sylvain felt Dedue's hand pull him back from the bathtub.  
Felix's eyes widened in fear.  
He was about to retreat back against the wall, but Dimitri held his slimy shoulders.  
He turned back to look at his old classmate. 

"What's going on here, Sylvain."

He snapped out of his reverie.

"I-I have to get out of here. Sorry!"

He turned to the door, but Ingrid blocked it.

"Hey, no running now! We all swore that if there's anything, we have to tell one another. Ok, Sylvain?"

He had a distant look on his face, but nodded.

The four friends sat in front of the bathtub, while Felix listened with full interest.

Sylvain started.  
"Do guys know what my dad is famous for?"

They all shook their heads.  
Ingrid quipped,  
"Actually I've never heard of his name before."

"Neither have I."

"Me too, actually. My dad won't tell me about it."

"Of course. That's something only adults know."  
Sylvain wasn't looking at anyone but the floor.

"And not all adults, either. Only those that frequent the realm of biological sciences."

Felix scratched his head in confusion.  
"Bio...huh?"

Dedue quickly explained,  
"He's a scientist."

"...huh?"

"Um...A super smart person."

"Oh!"

Sylvain looked at Felix's expression, then continued.

"He started with normal sealife stuff, that's what Mom told me. Then, I don't know what, after getting a lot of research funding, he..."  
Sylvain paused, then changed his sentences,  
"Mom told me that after that, he started doing something weird. Something creepy.  
Told her that it's 'something he always did as a child'. Something he wanted to do since young.

Mom and Dad split.  
She's still living at the old place, the city where the sun never rises nor sets. But of course, if you guys are wondering about Miklan, he's been out since a long time ago. But keeps coming back. 

I know my big brother. He's really smart too, just that..."  
Sylvain gripped his arms.  
And then his expression froze.

The other three stared at him.  
Dimitri waved his hands in front of his old classmate's face.

"Hello? Earth to Sylvain?"  
He didn't respond. His expression and body froze like a statue.

Little Felix peaked up from the side of the bathtub.  
"...Sy...Sylvain? Is he OK?"

Ingrid frowned, a worried look.  
"I think we should give him some time."

And then they waited.  
And waited.  
Then the Sylvain TV broadcast started to resume again, almost quite comically.

"AAAAHHHHHH!!   
Oh, where was I.

Anyways, I saw my dad's research before. He tries to mix the DNA of two animals and tons of other stuff. Sometimes when it comes out, it'll live for a while before dying. But he wants to make one that will live longer.

There's another one where he tries to sew two different parts of animals together, but he's not good at stitching things up. Doesn't work.

Those research somehow gets out, and a lot of people got angry, I remembered. But there's a strange group of people that also want to see the results. He gets a lot of money from funding."

Ingrid frowned,  
"But that sounds horrible, no? Then why do you follow him and not live with your mom?"

"Because I want to see Dimitri again."

Dimitri's eyes widened.  
"What--"

"Yeah! I know I know, it's a stupid reason. But I was lonely, alright? And you were the only one that talked to me in class."

Dimitri eyes went wide looking at him, and then Sylvain hid his face with his arms while curling up into a ball.

"Dude..."

"DON'T LOOK AT ME I KNOW I'M STUPID--"

"I didn't even talk to you that much..."

Felix just stared at the both of them, half-confused by the whole story. Who even are any of these people anyways?

But Dedue tilted his head, pondered a little bit.  
Then he spoke,  
"Your dad...told you that he's going somewhere where Dimitri is?"

"Uh-huh."

"That's strange."

Felix scratched his head.  
"What's strange? I don't get it, I don't get a lot of things."

Dimitri whispered the "I'll explain to you later" words and came back to Dedue.  
"What is strange about that?"

Dedue took a big breath, ready to speak for long.   
"Remember in my mom's shop before we first met Sylvain?"

Ingrid suddenly recalled,  
"Oh yeah! You talked about the place you came from, right? Didn't want to talk about it."

"Yeah. It sounds like you moved to start anew, afresh.  
If that's the case, how does Sylvain's dad know where you are?"

Something cold stirred in Dimitri's stomach.  
Dedue has a point.

"Hey...let's not talk about this anymore, ok? It's starting to creep me out a little."

Then all of them nodded.

It was dark out in Fhirdiad Fishing Village. The moon was high above the dark night sky, shining it's cold brilliance down to the multi-colored houses, painting it white.  
The deep blue sea is now pitch black like the night sky as well, the moonlight reflection making the surface glitter.

But strangely enough, unknown to the residents of the village, the waters started to turn choppy. Quite unusual for the peaceful, calm sea waters that the fishing village is used to.

At the edge of the village, there stood a blue house with two stories. On the upper story, Dimitri was busy filling Felix in with all the details that he has known in the past few months since moving in.  
His meeting with Ingrid, then Dedue, their school, school teachers and schoolwork.  
Then their meeting with Sylvain, his terrifying older brother, and his mysterious father.

Felix fell quiet hearing all of that.  
"I...I'm sorry Sylvain."

"Huh? What's there to apologise for?"

"It sounds really messy...I mean, I have an older brother too. But he's not a bad person. In fact, he's the coolest.  
I never thought older brothers can be bad actually."

That was when the 5 kids heard a 'click' from the door downstairs.  
Dimitri turned around,  
"Oh! Dad must be back."

"Where did he go?"

He shrugged, but rushed out of the bathroom door anyways.  
Felix watched the four of them run out.  
He then curled up, hugged his tail, and let himself sink into the bottom of the bathtub.  
There was one window opened in the bathroom, where he can see the dark night sky and the moon.  
But that's it. The rest of his surroundings are just tiled walls and tiled floors. 

When the kids rushed down, they saw a couple of adults already in the living room and the open kitchen. Mainly, Mr. and Mrs. Galatea, and Mr.Blaiddyd.

"Um...Dad, what's going on?"

"Oh it's..."  
Mr.Blaiddyd scratched his head.  
"It's about the kid upstairs, Dimitri."

"Felix?"

"...Felix?"

Mr. Galatea pipped in in surprise,  
"Felix? Wait, you kids got his name?"

Ingrid nodded,  
"Yeah. He can speak normally as well. He's a bit shy though."

His eyes widened as he grabbed his old worn cap, readjusting it while rubbing the moustache under his huge nose.  
"He uh, he told you anything 'bout home?"

Dedue suddenly spoke,  
"It's best to not ask him that. Must be homesick."

"Yeah, about that"  
spoke Mr.Blaiddyd, taking a sit on the couch with the rest of the kids doing the same on the other couches.  
"I'll ask a question to you kids.  
Do you want that mermaid kid to go back home?"

All of them stared at one another. Then, in unison, they shouted,  
"Yes!"

He turned back to the Galateas.  
"See? Told you, they want him to return home."

"Wait."  
Ingrid stood up. She looked at her parents,  
"What's this about? You don't think we should send that poor kid back home?" 

"No no it's not that, dear."  
Mrs.Galatea spoke, calming her daughter down.  
"We both, uh..."  
She turned to look at Mr.Galatea.

"Yes, we both believe that that kid needs to go home too. There should be others worrying about him."

She sat down, a little wary.   
"Okay, so why are we waiting here?"

"Because I said no."

That voice.  
Sylvain felt chills down his spine.

Mr.Gautier came up from the back of the kitchen, as if he had been listening in the whole time.

"Dad..."

"Good evening, Sylvain. I wondered where you were."  
He readjusted his spectacles.

Mr.Blaiddyd got up from his seat and turned to him,  
"I know, you're probably curious about things, but look--that's a little kid upstairs. He probably has parents and siblings and friends that are worried about him."

"How do you know? What if he's an orphan--"

Dimitri stood up.  
"Felix told us that he has a brother!"

Then Ingrid stood up,  
"Yeah! And he's been crying since he got here! It's not just his family that'll miss him, Felix misses them too, Mr.Gautier."

He doesn't care.  
He looked at Sylvain for input.

And Sylvain, he was quiet, sitting down and staring at the floor.

"What do you think, Sylvain?" 

"I..."  
He looked up,  
"I have to admit. It's interesting alright. I'll love to look deeper into it."

Dimitri's skin felt cold.  
"No, Sylvain what are you saying..."

Mr.Gautier gave a thin smile,  
"I know you would understand--"

"But."  
Sylvain continued,   
"Felix, he..."  
Sylvain rubbed his fingers. The plasters finally came off, but the wounds are still there.  
"He has a nice family. He should return to them.  
I think that's more important."

Mr.Gautier readjusted his spectacles. 

And right then, perfect timing, the doorbell rang.

Mr.Blaiddyd quickly went to answer the door, and right at the doorstep was Mrs.Molinaro.

Now, Dedue felt his stomach drop again.

"Hey I'm seeing all my neighbours here throwing some huge house party, and I'm not invited?"

"Mom it's not a house party--"

Ingrid quickly pointed to Mr.Gautier,  
"Mrs.Molinaro he's trying to take someone's kid away!"

Her eyes widened,   
"HE'S WHAT NOW?"

"...right I'll take my leave."  
And Dimitri never saw Mr.Gautier sped right out of the door that fast before, getting into his red car and driving away.

Mrs.Molinaro could only stare.  
"What's his problem?"

Dedue shrugged. 

==

It was Felix's first sleepover, if he would call being stuck in a bathtub a "sleepover".  
Towards midnight, he started having nightmares of not being able to breathe again, and thrashed about until he woke up.  
Dimitri helped refill the water in the bathtub while Felix sniffed and sobbed a sorry apology.  
Then, he left the bathroom door open.  
His bedroom is right opposite the upper storey bathroom, so Felix could see Dimitri sleeping soundly, on his bed.

Somehow, that was comforting.  
More comforting than being stuck in the dark bathroom, the door closed on him.

It was further away than the small bathroom window, but Felix enjoyed looking out of the bedside window in Dimitri's little blue room.  
He could see the pale moonlight shining through the open window, the gentle, cool sea breeze fluttering the translucent, white curtains.  
And below the night sky, the deep blue sea, now entirely black and glittery.

Felix stared longingly at the sea. There, he slowly drifted to sleep.

The next morning, little Felix woke up.

Strange.  
Where's Glenn? His bedroom looks weird...  
He took one look around again, rubbed his eyes, stared, and then it hit him.

He wasn't back home.  
Far away from home, in fact.  
Felix wiped his tears and hid his little sniffles.

Dimitri, he said that he'll bring him home, right?

Felix looked out to the little blue bedroom, but there wasn't anyone lying on the bed.

Weird.

"Dimitri?"  
Felix cupped his hands together and shouted a little louder,  
"Dimitri! Dimitri!  
Dimitri where are you?"

He started sniffing.

"D-Dimitri...? *sniff* Didi..."  
His eyes watered, panic in his little heart.

"Dimi..."

"Felix!!"

That voice!  
Felix's eyes brightened up and he wiped away his tears.  
"Dimitri!!"

He heard quick footsteps up the creaky wooden steps and saw Dimitri run into the bathroom to greet him.  
He wasn't wearing his pyjamas anymore, if that's what they call them.

"Felix you're going home today, aren't you excited?"

"Going...home?"

"Yeah. Actually I was outside looking at the weather. It's a bit strange today, but the sea should be safe enough for you to swim home."

Felix tilted his head.  
"Huh? What do you mean?"

Dimitri pursed his lips,   
"Usually the sun is out in the sky at this time. But it's really, really cloudy today. Ingrid's dad said that it was rare to have cloudy days."

"...cloudy...?  
Felix looked out of Dimitri's bedside window at the distance, and saw dark, grey skies.  
" Ohh...it's going to pour water from the air."

"Uhuh. It's going to 'rain'. And when it rains--"

"--the water becomes hard to swim."  
Felix completed his sentence.  
Dimitri nodded in agreement.

"That's why it's better to leave now, before the currents get strong enough to sweep you away. Your parents must be waiting around here anyways, I think."

When Mr.Galatea and Mr.Blaiddyd went up stairs to carry Felix down, Dimitri soaked his fluffy blue towel into the bathtub.  
He then took it out and wrapped it around Felix's fish tail and his pretty, translucent body membrane. It keeps the scales wet, helps Felix to breathe while he's being transported downstairs.

Felix kept his focus on Dimitri while being transported downstairs, trying to not look at Mr.Galatea's skinny, gangly arms trembling at the weight of holding a mermaid child.

Once they reach the outside broadwalk by Dimitri's house, they took off the fluffy blue towel and lowered Felix into the sea water.

It felt good to be back in there.

Felix dived deep down, and popped up all wet at the surface of the water again, a wide, bright grin on his happy wet face. 

Dimitri bended down low to look at his new mermaid friend.   
"Well, I pray for your safety Felix--"

"Waaaaiitt!!!!"  
Dimitri turned around and saw Ingrid at a distance, running up to the broadwalk.  
There behind her, Dedue and, for the first time in a long time seen out in the morning, Sylvain.

"Ingrid! Dedue! And uh..."

Sylvain laughed,  
"Surprised you, didn't I? But hey, it's cloudy and cold today so I'm not stuck in that stupid bed."

Felix looked at all his new friends rush up on the broadwalk.  
"Everyone..."  
He started to tear up again.

Ingrid smiled,  
"Don't look so upset, I mean, if you came here once you come here again, right?"

Dedue quietly nodded.  
"We will miss you, Felix. But we will always be together, as long as we live on this Earth."

Sylvain gave his dumb smile as well,  
"Well, they said what I wanted to say. Good luck over there!"

"Well,"  
Dimitri sighed,  
"I guess this is a goodbye, huh. Don't worry, we'll still be here, all of us."

Felix sniffed, and nodded.  
He waved his little webbed hands back at all his friends, and said a little, sad but cute  
"Bye-bye..."

He went, looked back at all of them for one last time, closed his crying eyes and dived down deep into the sea, disappearing from everyone's sight.

Mr.Galatea took off his old hat and rubbed his spotty bald head.  
"Well,"  
He took a breath,  
"That's it I suppose."

Dimitri found himself looking out at the sea for the longest time, despite knowing that he won't be seeing that little mermaid for quite a while.

It's strange.  
He was fun to talk to, in fact. But Dimitri also smiled to himself, a little. Proud that he made a new friend somewhere out there in the depths of the sea.

He turned to his friends,  
"We best be on our way as well."

They nodded in unison.

It was later in the day, where the four friends hanged out at Dedue's place, not minding the strange scent of spices in the kitchen.  
Sylvain sneezed a little, but Ingrid and Dimitri are used to it.

Apparently Dedue was shopping with Mrs.Molinaro for some new ingredients for the restaurant the previous day, down the southern side of the village.  
Dedue was at the magazine section where he discovered the comic book series "Unbreakable is Diamond", from Volume 1 to 13. He ended up using his savings to buy them and hid it from his mom, but Mrs.Molinaro found out anyway.

He was broke now.  
But he was a happy kid.

The four of them spent the time reading his collection of strange comics, some brought over from his old home back in his home country, some bought at the marketplace down south.

It was quiet, the only noise being the whirring of the ceiling fan above. The rest of the house is relatively dark, decorated with many old photos of Dedue's family, his dad, his siblings, all over the walls. Then there are strange decorations being hung up as well, although Dimitri wasn't quite sure what those are. When they first entered the house, Dedue went over to switch on the incandescent lights, bathing the house with a warm orange. 

Dimitri lied down on the old sofa reading a volume, a musky yet comfortable scent wafting up his nose.  
"Dedue I didn't know you make impulse purchases."

"Yeah you look like the kind that would save."

Dedue looks a little embarrassed, a little quiet.  
"I...was searching for them."

Ingrid looked up from one of his comic collection,  
"This Unbreakable is Diamond series?"

"Mmm. And many others."

Soon after, the four friends heard the clap of thunder. Thereafter, a loud pouring of water hitting the road.   
Dimitri looked out of the window, heavy patterned curtains being pulled to the side.

"It's raining."

Dedue spoke,  
"You think Felix is OK?"

Dimitri nodded, looking back at the comics.  
"Mm. He should be back home by now."

The three of them continued reading, but Ingrid stared out of the window.  
Something was bothering her.

Dedue noticed.  
"Ingrid?"

"The waves, don't they look kinda violent?"

"The waves?"

"I mean, I usually stare at them when it's calm like, most of the time. And usually even during the rare chance it rains, it's not like that."

Dimitri noticed the worried tone in her voice, and panic stirred in his heart. He set the comic down and went over to the window. The others followed suit.

The waves did look unnatural. In fact, they were raising higher and higher, until Dimitri saw the waves spill all over the broadwalk.  
The rain was pouring down heavily, the visibility was bad.

And that's when they all saw it.

A dark figure crawling up the slippery broadwalk, trembling.  
A figure around their height, a figure with a fish tail.

Dimitri felt his skin grow cold.  
"Felix!!"

He rushed out of Dedue's house, not even bothering about an umbrella. Sylvain screamed after him,  
"Hold on! It's dangerous out there!"

Ingrid shoke her head,  
"He can't hear us, let's follow him!"

The bright blue skies are now covered with heavy grey clouds, the once scenic sunshine lighting up the multi-colored houses are no more.  
The village is now cloaked with heavy rain, the usual scenic sight now blinded with rain.

The villagers are hiding in their houses, the workers at the fishery hiding under the shelter. However, four kids ran out under the heavy rain, getting entirely soaked.

"Felix!!"  
Dimitri ran up to the broadwalk and quickly stopped himself from slipping. The sea levels are high. Real high.  
He never saw water creep up to the broadwalk before, but that's besides the point.

Felix crawled up the broadwalk, crying.

Dimitri held his arms,  
"What's going on? Shouldn't you be back home?"

Felix only shook his head and cried.

What's going on here?  
Dedue rushed up to his friends and saw the scene.  
"Felix..."

Ingrid looked around her surroundings, the broadwalk flooded with seawater.  
"We should go somewhere safe, the sea is acting weird now."

Sylvain went over, helping Dimitri hoist up Felix's body.  
"Let's carry him into Dimitri's house!"

They nodded, with Ingrid and Dedue taking each side of Felix's tail. The four of them carried him all the way into Dimitri's house, and rushed him into the upper storey bathroom, filling up the bathtub with warm water and lowering him in.

The warm water calmed him down a little.

It was pouring heavily all over, but the windows in the blue house are shut before Dimitri left the house.  
Inside, it feels locked away and safe from the terrible weather outside. The pouring of the rain is only a distant, muffled sound.

Felix started sniffing, while the other four surrounded him with worried looks.

"...*sniff*...not there..."

Dimitri looked at his friend, concerned.  
"What's not there?"

"Mom...*sniff*...Dad...Glenn...not there..."

Ingrid's eyes widened with panic,  
"What do you mean? Are they not at home? Everyone is just, gone? Just like that?"

Felix shook his head.  
"No..."  
He sniffed, rubbed his eyes and tried to explain to his concerned friends, to the best and bravest he can.  
"I don't know how to go home, so I thought...*sniff*...I thought someone will be there, nearby, looking for me.

But there's no one. *sniff* I...I tried to find someone but there's no one there. I tried to remember how I got here, but can't remember. Then the sea got faster, I can't swim properly."

Sylvain mumbled, deep in thought,   
"The rain..."

"Uhuh. Water pours from the air."  
Felix crossed his arms, pouting while tears steam from his eyes.  
"Well I'm not going home anymore!"

Dimitri was surprised.  
"Wait, why?"

"No one is searching for me, they don't care."

"No I bet that they are, Felix! Didn't you say that your parents loved you, along with your big brother? Then they would be worried about you!"

"Then why aren't they there?"

Good question.  
Dimitri thought to himself, but his wet, sticky clothes aren't helping him think.

Felix slumped deeper into the bathtub, grouchy and teary.   
"I bet this is all Dad's fault. Hmmph."

"Dad?"  
Dimitri sat a little closer. Felix mentioned him before, but not so often. Never as often as his big brother, Glenn. 

"Uhuh. Dad is strong. Really, really strong. He can make water pour from the air, and the sea to go faster."  
Felix rubbed his runny nose.  
"I only saw him do it once, when bad guys came to attack us."

Now Dedue's eyes went wide open.  
"Bad guys?"

Felix nodded.  
He paused for a while, having something in his mind.  
He leaned in close to his human friends and whispered,  
"Actually can you guys keep this a secret?"

They nodded.

Felix spoke in a hushed tone.  
"I'm a prince. Mom and Dad rule a kingdom, you see. It's not super big, but big enough that I can swim around everywhere with Glenn.

Sometimes there are bad guys that want to take away Mom and Dad's uh...seat? I think Glenn calls it a seat. It's a very important seat. Only they can sit on the seat."  
Felix started confusing himself.  
" Uhh...huh? Actually if it's a seat, why can't they give it away? Isn't it good to let people sit down if they're tired?

Anyways this is why Dad is stupid. He should just buy a new chair to sit down or something. Glenn would give people his seat."  
Felix pouts,  
" Glenn is the best!"

Then he got confused and looked at his friends, equally as lost.

"Huh? What are we talking about?"

"I'm not quite sure..."

Dedue then reminded them,  
"Bad guys. We're talking about bad guys."

"Oh yeah.  
Anyways, bad guys try to take away Mom and Dad's chairs."

Dimitri got more confused.  
And Felix kept rambling, as if trying to recall a far-away memory.

"They're really bad, and really, REALLY mean. I threw my chair at them, and one of them actually fell, can you believe it? Heh!"

At least Felix isn't crying anymore. He's sort of rubbing his nose in that 'cool hero' way. 

"Then Glenn had to hide me in a drawer or something. And I hate it, it's too stuffy. So I broke out of the drawer.  
I think the bad guys saw me, so I made a face at them and swam away.  
I swam all the way outside my house, and then I saw it happen. The surface above is all weird looking, like water is hitting it. Then the sea all around me started moving really fast!

It blew the bad guys away, and it blew me away too. I think Mom grabbed my hand so I won't get blown off."

Ingrid leaned closer,  
"And your Dad did that?"

"Yeah. I thought Glenn did it, but he said he didn't.  
It's weird, Dad only did that because he said he didn't want the bad guys to get hurt.  
But if they're the bad guys, won't you fight them? This is why Dad is lame, you see.  
Glenn is cooler. Glenn would throw his chair at them.

Also he chokes on fishbone. I don't think anyone chokes on fishbone except him."

Sylvain thought about it deeper.  
"You mermaids have interesting powers, huh."

Then Dimitri spoke,  
"But it still doesn't make any sense.  
Let's say Felix is right, and that this weather is caused by his dad. Then, won't he be nearby? Why is it that Felix can't find anyone down below?"

Dedue thought for a bit, looking down at the floor. Dimitri, Ingrid and Sylvain looked at him and waited. Only Felix was confused by the sudden silence.  
Then he spoke,  
"You said your Dad is strong, right?"

"Yeah, that's the only cool thing about him."

"Then perhaps, this is not the end of his assault."

Dimitri turned to look at his friend.  
"What do you mean by that?"

"It's raining heavily now, but he's not here yet. Once the weather gets even worse, then he is likely to be nearby.  
That is my guess."

Felix looked at Dedue with a little surprise.  
"You're smart, Dedue! I think, maybe you're right."

Dedue shyly rubbed his neck.

"I heard Dad can do worse stuff. He sunk a whole ceiling--uh I mean ship, before.  
The bad ship hurt a lot of mermaid like me, it's a very bad ship. Big and made of metal."

Ingrid asked,  
"And how did he sink it?"

Felix shook his head.  
"I think only Glenn knows. He won't tell me."

It soon turned evening, but the heavy rain has yet to subside. In fact, it only got worse.  
Dedue fetched extras of his clothes over to Dimitri's house, where Dimitri stayed to keep Felix company.

There, the kids took turns to bathe and dry up at the lower storey bathroom.  
Dimitri sharing his clothes with Ingrid, Dedue with Sylvain.

Dimitri tried to carry that little old portable box TV that his dad owned up to the second storey, hoping it could work.

He stretched the cable to his room, and there in the bathroom, they got Felix to watch their dumb Friday evening TV series.

Then, downstairs, the kids heard the door creak open and close.  
Dimitri ran down the stairs.

Mr.Blaiddyd was entirely drenched from head to toe, drying his soggy plastic boots at the shoe rack.

"Oh Dimitri the rain is awful today--"

"Dad! Felix came back!"

He stared at his son in surprise.  
"W...huh?!"

He followed him upstairs.  
There, he saw the kids in the upper storey bathroom watching shows on his old, portable box TV,  
dry and comfortable.  
Of course, Felix is there as well.

"Uh...hey kid."  
Felix turned to look, and then he waved.  
"Why did you come back?"

"No one came for me."  
He bitterly responded.

"...Oh. Well I'm sure they'll come for you in due time. Maybe they haven't woken up yet."

Dimitri went up and sat next to the bathtub.  
"Cheer up Felix! Maybe someone you know is waiting nearby now. Maybe you can try going home--"

"Hmph! No way! I wanna watch this episode first."

There was a ring on the doorbell. Mr.Blaiddyd quickly went down the stairs to answer the door.  
Standing out there holding a flimsy umbrella, there's Mr.Galatea with his old fisherman cap.

"Mr.Blaiddyd you left this at the fishery,"  
and he handed him his missing umbrella, chuckling  
"although given how drenched you are, it won't do you good now, eh?"

"Oh, thank you for returning it!" 

"It's ok, neighbours look out for each other.  
By the way, did you notice the waves just now? There's something quite odd about it."

Dimitri was eavesdropping on their conversation, and the moment he caught it, his attention was grabbed.  
Something strange out at the sea?

He made his way down the steps and looked out the living room window. 

Strange, icy blue dots right on top of the surface, unmoving.  
Could it be?

Dimitri watched the adults head out to see the unnatural phenomenon, and there he shouted,  
"Felix!! I think he's here!"

No response.  
He ran up stairs to the upper storey bathroom. 

"Felix there's strange ice spots on the sea surface. I think your parents are here!"

Something lit up in Felix's eyes.  
"Really?"

"Yeah! We have to get him down, hold on I'll tell my dad!"  
Dimitri raced downstairs again, running out to the broadwalk, entirely drenched again.

The sky was very dark out.  
It was the late evening but the sky made it feel like the night. It didn't help that there was heavy rain.

Mr.Blaiddyd noticed a familiar figure behind him. 

"Dimitri! What are you doing out here--"

"I think Felix's parents are here! Just got my friends to bring him down."

Mr.Galatea looked out at the sea, than back at him.  
"How can you prove that? I don't think it's safe to let the poor mermaid out in this weather. Especially with the sea looking like that."

"No don't worry, Felix said that his parents aren't bad people!"  
Dimitri kneeled down at the broadwalk.  
"Look, I'll dip my fingers in the sea and show you guys that I'm still alive, alright?"

Mr.Blaiddyd wanted to stop his son from doing something silly like that, but Dimitri knelt down and stuck his hand in, show that the waters is still safe. 

And then Dimitri made a big mistake. 

The moment little Dimitri stuck his fingers in the water, he felt a huge force.  
None that he had ever experienced, not even like that one time his dad pushed him too hard on a swing and it spun in vertical loops.  
This time, the force was like immense gravity into the bottom of the ocean.

Dimitri fell into the waters.

The moment he sank in, all went to darkness. He wasn't used to being sunk in the cold sea like this, even if it's by the fishing village.  
He couldn't open his eyes in the water, but he knew he had to get out.

Dimitri moved his arms, trying to paddle his way up to the surface. He held his breath and did his best moving up, but he can't. He couldn't have sunk too deep, yet he can't reach the surface. Instead, Dimitri felt like he was actually sinking deeper and deeper, with each stroke.  
What was going on? 

He swam as hard as he could, trying to breach through the surface with all his might. Yet the cold waters got heavier and heavier, like it was clinging onto his skin, his clothes.  
There was a loud ruckus above the surface, he could feel it, but he couldn't hear a thing.  
Dimitri wanted to scream, but felt like his body was drifting away into the cold, dark ocean.

No.  
No he can't give up now, he has to get to the top. If he doesn't reach to the top now...

Dimitri felt his oxygen running out. He gave another push to what he thinks is the surface, but felt his weight drag him down, deeper to the bottom of the sea.  
Then, he opened his mouth in exasperation, and the oxygen left him as bubbles into the cold, turquoise sea.

("No!  
No someone help!")  
Dimitri struggled once more, but darkness is clouding over his brain.  
("I don't wanna die help!!")  
He moved his arms, but there was barely any push.  
("Why did I fall in...")  
It felt like a bad nightmare, but he wasn't waking up from it.

Can't see a thing.  
Can't breathe.  
Felt his skin grow cold and damp, as his body sunk into the sea.

In retrospect, was that how Felix felt when he was pulled out of the ocean into the harsh sunlight?

Dimitri felt his lungs on fire but he had no energy left to move.  
("...help...")

Something dived deep down into the sea, bubbles of air appearing at the surface, then dissipating like snow.

Dimitri could hear the noise, yet his body sunk further. Somehow, whoever that dived deep down wasn't affected by the gravity pull, for some reason.  
They swam further down in powerful strokes, and not long after, Dimitri felt someone grab his hand. A familiar grip.

That person quickly swam up, and like that, his face breached the surface of the dark, choppy waters.

Like a burst of fresh air.

Dimitri choked violently, rubbed his eyes to clear his vision.  
The broadwalk was right nearby.  
He swam and quickly grabbed it, trying to get up but failed to have energy to.

He gripped tightly to the edge of the broadwalk. There, he turned to meet the one that saved him, Mr.Blaiddyd.

"Dad..."

"Don't--!"  
He panted heavily, also unable to get up from the broadwalk.  
"Don't do that again, ok?"

"I'm sorry, I was shocked..."  
He felt his tears mix up with the heavy rain pelting on his face.

Mr.Galatea rushed over to the both of them.  
"Golly me you guys shaved off 10 years off my life!"  
He held his arms out to Dimitri,  
"Alright sonny hold my hand I'll get you out there!"

With trembling hands, he gripped onto Mr.Galatea's arms and tried hoisting himself up.

Then, he felt that pull again.  
Now that he's above the surface, he knows what it looks like now.  
As if a huge vortex started forming where his body is.

"No--"

"DIMITRI!" 

Even Mr.Galatea fell down, chest to the floor once Dimitri got pulled in by the vortex.  
But Mr.Blaiddyd quickly edged over to Dimitri's side and grabbed his arm.

"Don't let go!"

With both hands, Dimitri gripped onto his dad's arms with all his might. Like a force pulling from both sides, one from his legs, another from his arms.

Then, Mr.Galatea struggled to get on his knees and joined the effort, attempting to pull Dimitri out of the sea. 

He focused on all his strength, holding onto both adults with all his little might.  
And Dimitri's little might was strong.  
Mr.Blaiddyd felt his son grip tight and decided to push himself up to the broadwalk, clawing the broadwalk and hoisting both their bodies up with his other arm.

It was just the waters, but it felt like quicksand in there.  
He kept pulling harder and harder, the gravity pull from the vortex getting even stronger by the second, yet Dimitri refused to let go.  
Soon after, they were stuck in a deadlock, neither force on Dimitri's arm nor his legs getting any stronger in their pulls. It came to the point where the vortex curved in like a depression on the surface of the water. 

Then finally, Mr.Galatea saw an arm, a strange webbed one, gripping onto Dimitri's knees.

"There's someone down there!"

Mr.Blaiddyd was too focused on pushing themselves up, his face red and sweating from effort.   
"What down there?"

"I see a hand grabbing your son's knees--"

"Well do something about it!"

The poor old man was panicking, and a strange idea popped in his head.  
"I'll go get it, you two stay safe!" 

Mr.Galatea was a man on a mission.  
In the heavy rain, he ran to his house, hurriedly unlocked the door and bolted to the storeroom. Mrs.Galatea was at home, hiding from the rain.

"Honey what are you doing--"

"I have to find my pole!"

"Catching fish? In this weather?"

"Yeah!"

She stared at him weird while the old scrawny man ran out of the house, grabbing onto not his fishing pole, but an older device.  
The oldest form of fish-hunting, a spear.

It's been a long time he used his old trusty wooden spear, back when he couldn't even afford to buy a fancy fishing rod. 

He rushed out of the house, running all the way to the slippery flooded broadwalk where his neighbours are.  
Good timing, because even Mr.Blaiddyd looked like he couldn't hold much longer.

"What on earth--"

"Dimitri, don't move your body alright? Now here it goes!"  
With all his might, Mr.Galatea jabbed his spear down into where he guessed that hand is. 

And there Mr.Galatea felt, for the first time, how it was like to sink a sharp weapon deep into human flesh.

Frightened, he released his grip on the wooden spear.  
The vortex pulling Dimitri down dissipated, and Mr.Blaiddyd could finally hoist the both of them up with his last burst of energy.  
Then they collapse on the broadwalk, panting like crazy. Dimitri couldn't move his arms.

Mr.Blaiddyd propped himself against the wall and saw what Mr.Galatea saw--an old wooden spear protruding out of the sea, while the space that was once where the vortex was, slowly colored with deep red.

"Uh...I'm not sure if we should uh...leave it?"

Mr.Blaiddyd wasn't sure what to do either.  
"Did you ki..."

"Oh god don't say that word!"  
He was visibly shell-shocked.  
"Whatever I did, I don't know, ok? I do NOT know what I was doing--eep!!"

Both of them saw the spear moving.  
"Oh god it's still alive!"

"Oh good, because a second ago you looked as if you didn't want it to die--"

"Yeah not by my hand!"

The wooden spear is inching closer. Without a thought, Mr.Blaiddyd pushed himself up to his feet.   
He moved Dimitri to the side and propped him up against the wall to rest.

Mr.Galatea, his stare still fixated on the wooden pole, whispered,  
"What should we do now?" 

At first, the two adults didn't have an answer.  
Mr.Blaiddyd moved closer to the edge, trying to get a good look at the shadowy figure, bleeding by the spear, until electric-blue splotches formed near his feet.  
And right after that, without a skip in beat, huge spikes of ice shot through the surface, aiming at Mr.Blaiddyd.  
And yet, somehow, as if he has done this a million times before, Mr.Blaiddyd dodged the ice spikes.

"Wha--"

"What are those?! They can shoot ice at us?!"

The huge lion felt his blood vessel throb in his head.  
"Ok that's it, no more dumb mermaid games, you're coming with us!"

Without a second thought, he grabbed the wooden spear and hoisted the whole spear up, pulling out that creature from the waters, bleeding and shocked.

God, he can never get used to looking at these creatures. At least that little kid was kinda cute. This one though, that's just a dude wearing creepy perverted fish cosplay. 

==

Whatever that was going on at the broadwalk, Dimitri moved away, back into his house.  
He has to tell Felix what was going on outside.

Right then, as he entered the house, Sylvain came running to him.  
"Dimitri where were you? We got Felix in the lower story bathroom, but he's heavy as hell--"

This tiny, high-pitched voice screamed back at Sylvain,  
"I am NOT heavy!!"

"--dude has at least 30kg of sashimi packed in his tail alone."  
Sylvain then stopped and took a good look at Dimitri.  
"What happened? You look so tired and you're breathing all heavy!"

"I have to tell Felix...we found this mermaid nearby."  
Dimitri trudged on to the lower storey bathroom.

"Whoa, you found one? Then we gotta get Felix back into the water."

Dimitri shook his head.  
"It's more complicated than that." 

Sylvain was confused by what he said, initially. Then he saw the door burst open, Mr.Galatea rushing in with a

"Move aside children! We have to get to the bathroom!"

Then Mr.Blaiddyd came in, hands on a spear with a whole goddamn mermaid skewered through his guts, and blood dripping all over the floor.

Sylvain saw both of them charge into the lower storey bathroom, and chuckled to himself.

"Damn, Dimitri. You fucked up BIG time, heheh." 

==

In the lower storey bathroom, Felix waited, moist towel over his fish tail.  
He pouted a bit,  
"Am I really that heavy?"

Dedue rubbed his neck awkwardly,  
"Yes. Not you, your tail."

"But my tail is part of me as well! Hmph!"  
He crossed his arms and huffed.

Ingrid looked at the closed door.  
"I wonder what's going on out there. Dimitri should have returned by now--"

And then the door burst open, and Ingrid saw her dad and Mr.Blaiddyd, and GOD knows what's on that spear.  
He lowered it down and dumped that bleeding mermaid on the dry tiles, a clear hole through his bleeding guts. 

And Felix shrieked. 

"DAD!"  
He thrashed about violently, and Ingrid held him down.

"Calm down Felix--"

"NOOOO! THAT'S DAD! WHAT DID THEY DO--"

Dimitri and Sylvain ran into the bathroom.  
"Felix--"

"DIMITRI WHAT DID YOU DO!"  
Felix started to thrash about and knocked off both Dedue and Ingrid's grip.

"He tried to drown me--"

The bleeding mermaid could barely get up, wheezing and choking on blood. But he turned around and saw Felix, wailing and crying on the floor.  
Then, these strange creatures dragged him away and tried to cover his tail with strange cloth. He got his webbed palms on the floor and attempted to get up, trembling and wheezing out blood while suffocating, but his head got slammed down on the tiled floor again.

Felix started to wail incomprehensibly.  
Everyone kind of stared at one another, at lost of what to do in this panicked moment.

Mr.Blaiddyd scratched his head,  
"Wait, so uh,"  
He pointed at that bloody violent mess on the tiled floor,  
"That's Felix's dad?"

"Seems to be."

Felix sobbed,  
"Y-you don't...*sniff*...you don't get it...Dad doesn't know..."  
He started to hiccup uncontrollably.

Dimitri looked at the scene, then to Felix crying.   
"Okay, if that's Felix's dad, then--"

And the door bell rang.  
Sylvain looked at Dimitri,  
"I'll go get it." 

Dimitri nodded at his friend, as he bolted out of the door.  
"If that's Felix's dad, then we have to save him."

He turned to look at his dad.  
Mr.Blaiddyd looked a little surprised, but nodded.  
"Right, Mr.Galatea you make sure he doesn't escape, I'll go get a wet towel."

"M-me?!"

The moment Mr.Blaiddyd rushed off, that mermaid flopped and struggled out, blood spewing more from the ground.  
"Oh no please don't move!"

Felix started to struggle too, and both Ingrid, Dimitri and Dedue carried him over to where that bleeding mermaid is.

He clasped his little webbed palms on his dad's face. It felt cold.  
Felix started to cry again.  
There, he felt his dad's dry, trembling webbed fingers wipe away the little tears on his face, and Felix started crying harder.

"...c-c...*sniff*...can you save him?"  
He turned to look at Mr.Galatea, glimmering, huge teary eyes that sparkle under the bathroom lights.

Mr.Galatea felt his stomach churn.  
"I uh..."  
He sighed,  
"I'm sorry little one, I'm just a fisherman. But I'll try my hardest." 

==

Sylvain rushed to answer the door, and when he opened it, he felt his skin turn cold.

"Oh.  
Hi Dad."

Mr.Gautier was standing out in the dark rain, carrying his red umbrella.

"Good evening Sylvain, it's getting late. And thankfully, the rain is clearing up."  
He peered around the living room.  
"May I come in? I saw something strange happening down at the broadwalk."

Without Sylvain even saying an answer, Mr.Gautier slipped off his black loafers at the shoe rack. He then left his red umbrella at the side of the door, and hurried into the only well-lit room on the lower storey--the bathroom. Just then, Mr.Blaiddyd came in with wet towels.

"Wh-why are you here?"

"Good evening, Mr.Blaiddyd."  
He turned to look at the bloody scene, and his eyes went wide.  
"Oh my, another one."

Dimitri helped his dad get the piles of wet towels off his arms and started trying to cover the bleeding mermaid's tail.  
He did nothing but stare at them, still panting heavily while clutching onto his open wound.

Mr.Blaiddyd turned to his neighbour,  
"Do you know anyone that can help fix his wound? Any doctors nearby the village?"

Ingrid piped up,  
"The nearest one is miles and miles away."

Dimitri's widened his eyes.  
"What? T-then what happens when you fall sick, Ingrid?"

She shook her head,  
"We travel all the way to big mountain city to get a checkup. There isn't any general clinic here."

"No!"  
Felix sniffed,   
"That's far...it's far, right?"

Dedue nodded.  
"Too far."

"T-then, then! *sniff* Then is there anyone else? There has to be, right?"  
He sniffed and turned to Dimitri, who was also at a lost for what to do next. 

Right there.  
In the small, lower storey bathroom. The pale light from a single light bulb hanging over the ceiling.   
No one would have known except the two of them, but right there and then,  
Mr.Blaiddyd's palms grew wet, and he felt cold sweat coming from the back of his ears.

Then, Mr.Gautier's horrid voice spoke from behind. Itchy. Dreadful. Like scratching on a blackboard. Especially with that tone. 

"𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘬𝘵𝘰𝘳, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬."

He had a smile on his face.

Mr.Blaiddyd felt his heart grew tired, his stomach sick.  
He looked at the kids, still holding onto Felix.

"Bring the little kid upstairs, he doesn't need to see this.

Oh, and Dimitri."

Dimitri turned around, and saw his dad's tired face.

"Get the box."

Dimitri pursed his lips, then he gave a grave nod.

==

Dedue, Sylvain and Ingrid had to drag a crying Felix all the way upstairs again, while he wailed and cried for his dad.

"What are they gonna do to him?! What..."  
He remembered that weird smile on that tall, red haired man's face. It was the same look Sylvain first gave him.  
Felix remembered that look, and he got scared. He started hiccuping again, sniffing and sobbing.

Sylvain looked at crying Felix, and muttered,  
"I don't know what's going on either. But it seems that Mr.Blaiddyd knows what to do."

Dedue softly quipped in,  
"Seems that Dimitri knows too."

Felix sniffed,  
"Dimitri..."

Ingrid furrowed her brow as well.

They silently carried him to the upper storey bathroom, laid Felix down into the bathtub and turned the faucet.

Felix hugged his fish tail and continued trying to hold his sniffles, still hiccuping.  
All of them were quiet, until Ingrid stood up, a little frustrated. 

"You know, I have to thank you Sylvain."

Sylvain raised a confused brow.

"You're brave. You told us a lot about yourself, even when those stuff are painful and scary.

But Dimitri never told us anything. Ever."  
She sighed, then sat down on the floor and hugged her knees.

"Feels like we don't really know him, actually.  
I never thought much about it, but when stuff like these happens, it's like he's not here anymore. Just, somewhere out there."

She looked up, facing Dedue.  
"It's the same thing, at your mom's restaurant. He didn't want to tell us where he came from, what he did.

I mean, I don't wanna pry, but..."  
And then she fell silent, not sure what to say next.

Felix looked at all of them, confused.  
"Wait, what happened to Dimitri?"

"That's what I want to know too, Felix."  
Ingrid spoke, a little sadly.  
"When he moved in months ago, I remembered it was the beginning of spring. Still a little cold, but definitely away from winter.

I was helping him unpack his stuff, my dad was helping out too. Looks like they brought many things, you know.  
I noticed his mom wasn't with him, so I asked something pretty insensitive."

She rubbed the back of her neck, looking down on the tiled floor.  
"I asked where was she.  
Dimitri told me that she passed away long ago."

Dedue's eyes went wide, so did Felix's.  
He rubbed the tears away from his eyes, engrossed in the mystery of his strange new friend.

Ingrid continued,  
"I thought they moved away from wherever they come from, Dimitri and his dad I mean, because it was a bad place. And held painful memories.   
But look at you, Sylvain.  
I don't think you've ever mentioned the place you come from is bad. Or...am I forgetting something?"

Sylvain looked at her, deep in thought.  
"It's not a bad place, but I know people can grow crazy living there."

Dedue sat closer.  
"You can tell us."

"Right."  
He sat up a little straighter.  
Felix stared at his strange new friends, now interested in what they have to say.

"The City of Lights.  
Rings a bell?"

Ingrid and Felix were both confused, but Dedue's eyes lit up.  
"That place, I've heard that it's a beautiful place."

"What is it like?"

Dedue recalled his memory,  
"I've seen it in picture books.  
Big place, filled with tall buildings made of glass.  
Every inch of the street is lit up with lights, and every single window is lit up with lights as well."

Ingrid tilted her head, confused.  
"Why's there a need for so much lights? I mean, can't they wait for the sun to rise?"

Sylvain spoke,  
"It's because there isn't a sun."

Now that got their attention.

"The City of Lights has no sun.  
Call it a geographical anomaly or what, the sun just doesn't rise there. No sunlight, even in the open skies."

"Then how do you tell when is night and day?"  
Felix asked.

"Simple."  
Sylvain pointed to his wrist,  
"The clock says all.  
If you don't wear a watch, there is a huge digital clock on the surface on an enormous glass tower. A tower so tall and huge, anyone in that vast metropolis can see it.  
The clock keeps ticking, bright red digits in the black night, on all four sides."

Dedue pondered,  
"Isn't it cold if it's always at night?"

"Oh yes, definitely."  
A warm smile started to light up on his face.  
"I'm never bedridden in the City of Lights, I can run freely there. Always pitch dark at all times, always frigid cold, never warm. It's the perfect environment for a guy like me, you know.

But I can say that because I live in the richer suburbs. Dimitri lives deep in the city, in those tall glass buildings. And in the city,"  
He leaned closer to his friends,  
"I heard a lot of bad goes there. A lot of crime. There're no guards patrolling the streets like in the richer suburbs, so it's a free man's world."

Sylvain snickered.

"Sometimes, the pitch black darkness cripples people's brains, and the never-ending frigid winters turn them bitter. All while the red clock ticks onwards."

Felix sunk into the waters of the bathtub.  
"That sounds terrible...why do people call it a beautiful place then?"

Dedue nodded,  
"I agree, however when I saw it in pictures, the thought of it being terrible didn't cross my mind.

The glass, the lights, and all the advanced technology placed all over the streets, it sounds like a place far, far away. And the name, 'The City of Lights', it's a beautiful name."

"It sure is, come to think about it. The City of Lights, huh."

"The City of Lights is just like it's people, really. Who they are, and who they really are are two different truths.

So, you can say that maybe I'm not who I really am.  
Then, you can say that my dad isn't who he really appears to be."  
Sylvain stopped.  
He looked to the ground, in deeper thought, mumbling what he's thinking,  
"In that way, Dimitri's dad isn't what he seems to be too. And Dimitri..."

He fell quiet, and so did others.

Then Felix spoke,  
"Well I don't agree with you!

I only know Dimitri for a short time, but he's not a bad person! I don't care if he doesn't want to tell us what he used to be or do. What really matters is the Dimitri now, right?" 

The rest of them looked at him in surprise. And then they chuckled.

Ingrid smiled to herself,  
"Thank you Felix.  
I think that's what we needed to hear.  
I used to tell that to him, but I guess with everything that has happened, it's easy to forget that."

Sylvain smiled warmly, and quietly nodded.

Then Dedue smiled, and looked down, a bit shy.  
"When I first saw him, I knew he was kind. But lonely."

Ingrid was surprised.  
"Lonely? He's so good at making friends! I mean, look at us, sitting around here!"

"Yes, he is friendly. But back then, he seemed lonely."  
He pondered for a bit.  
"Strange.  
I thought Sylvain was lonely too. And so was his brother, Miklan. All of you have lonely faces, lonely eyes."

Sylvain pursed his lips,  
"It was tough to make friends there. People come and go all the time.  
The City of Lights is well-advanced, so all sorts of people come in and go out."

Right there, the door opened up to Dimitri, panting.  
"Oh goodness I thought I couldn't find it...oh!"

He went over to his friends,  
"I'm sorry for leaving you guys for a while! I uh...I was going to help my dad, but apparently Mr.Gautier could take over? Not sure about that, but okay."  
Dimitri then noticed his friends looking at him strange.

"Um...did I miss anything?"

They quietly stared at one another, then Felix opened up his arms.

Dimitri, a little confused, went closer to him.  
And then the little mermaid gave him a tight hug. Afterwards, the rest did the same.

"Uh...huh?????"

"Oh it's nothing."

He was a little confused, but he still happily hugged them back.

"Right! Anyways I'm glad to see that you've stopped crying, Felix. Your dad would be just fine--" 

And then, chaos erupted.   
Suddenly, the kids heard Mr.Galatea screaming his poor lungs out.  
Whatever it is, then they heard Mr.Blaiddyd screaming, and full chaos ensued.   
The kids just awkwardly kept quiet while the adults are doing god-knows-what mayhem in the lower storey bathroom, with all that muffled noise going on.

Later on, Dimitri saw the floor to his bedroom tore open, a huge pillar of ice sticking out of it. Felix hid his face in shame and whispered a  
"Sorry..."

Dimitri patted his back awkwardly, right after hearing his dad yell something,   
"It's ok."

Sylvain eventually told them,  
"I'll, uh, go walk around for a bit."

"Yeah, go ahead."

He went down the stairs and saw Mr.Galatea storming out, screaming,   
"Ok that's it I'm done! I'm out of here--oh hi Sylvain." 

"Uh, is everything OK?"

"Everything OK?? Did you know what your dad did?!"

He took off his cap and gave a tremendous sigh, rubbing his bald head. Sylvain noticed that there are blood splotches on his shirt.  
Then, he took a deep breath, and went back into the lower storey bathroom again.

Poor brave soldier. 

==

It took a while, but to the kids, it was like forever.

By then, the skies had cleared and the moon was back in the skies, shining peacefully on Fhirdiad Fishing Village.

The kids watched TV in the bathroom again, with Felix getting increasingly angry at the plot. Then they had to explain to him, but he refused to listen.

"Look the hero is stupid, ok? I mean, I won't fly into that building--"

Ingrid groaned,  
"He loved The Pink Princess, ok? That's why he did something rash--"

"But the Pink Princess can fight, no? So she can be left there--" 

The door busted open, with Mr.Galatea entirely soaked with sweat and blood.   
"Kids! We're done! Oh, Felix your dad is right outside, by the way."

Felix's eyes brightened.  
The kids got up and, with the help of Mr.Galatea, carried Felix down to the broadwalk.

There, they met Mr.Blaiddyd and Mr.Blaiddyd, looking absolutely horrid.  
Mr.Blaiddyd was soaked in blood and sweat, as well as with water. And Mr.Gautier's spectacles were broken, with a lousy tape connecting the bridge of his spectacles. They looked strangely calm for having their faces sprayed with blood, for some reason. 

They also met Felix's dad, already floating by near the broadwalk, looking a little dizzy and tired.  
Felix jumped in and splashed water all over the broadwalk. He hugged his father tightly.

"You're OK!"

"Uh...I think so?"  
He rubbed where his wound was, now all stitched up, albeit a little messily.  
"I'm not sure what happened--"

"Heehee! That doesn't matter, you're OK now!" 

He turned to look at the children, all staring back at Felix.

Felix giggled,  
"Those are my friends by the way. Because of them I'm not lonely here. And I had a lot of fun too!"

The older mermaid took a good look at the four children.  
Dimitri noticed that he doesn't quite look exactly the same as Felix, besides his dark hair. But he has gentle eyes, all the same.

"Thank you for taking care of Felix, all four of you."  
He turned to look at Felix,  
"Now! We best be on our way now."

And Felix nodded.  
He turned to his friends.

"I mean, we said a goodbye in the morning, but a goodbye at night doesn't hurt too."

"Take care!"  
"Mm. Stay safe."  
"Don't get caught by weirdo fishermen next time!"

Dimitri waved and yelled,   
"See you next time, Felix!"

Felix giggled, and dissappeared into the waters with his dad. 

(In the midst of the children's yells Mr. Blaiddyd, still dripping wet with mermaid blood, smiled gleefully and shouted at the older mermaid,

"Don't ever come back you crazy asshole!"

And the older mermaid smiled back and waved,  
"I promise!") 

There, the sea became peaceful again. Moonlight shining on the tranquil black sea, with barely any ripples that disturb the surface. 

Dedue quietly spoke,  
"I'll miss him."

"We will."

Dimitri smiled to himself.  
Maybe it's the strange wind in the air, maybe it's the calm waters, but he's got a hunch.

A feeling that this won't be the last he sees of his strange new friend.


End file.
